Football Kenya Federation (FKF) is facing intense scrutiny following the Harambee Stars’ humiliating 8–0 defeat to Senegal.
The defeat goes down as McCarthy’s worst coaching defeat and Kenya’s second worst loss since 1965.
Fans Criticise Tactics — But Was McCarthy Set Up to Fail?
The crushing defeat immediately triggered backlash from Kenyan fans, who questioned McCarthy’s tactics, selection, and readiness for such a high-profile opponent.
However, emerging details suggest that the South African legend may have been blindsided by FKF’s last-minute fixture changes, Afrik-Foot reveals.
Technical Team Says Senegal Match Was Not Initially Planned
According to McCarthy’s assistant coach, Vasili Manousakis, the technical team had spent weeks preparing for entirely different opponents — Comoros and Madagascar — only to be handed a completely new schedule after squad selection had already been finalised.
“We don’t know how, or who agreed to the fixture. We were discussing playing Comoros and Madagascar… then we got Equatorial Guinea, and later Senegal was added. We don’t know quite how it happened, but it happened,” Manousakis told Kenyan media.
Young Squad Forced to Face Top African Giants
McCarthy had deliberately left out several first-choice players for the November friendlies, aiming to test young talent against less intimidating opposition.
But after the fixture list changed unexpectedly, the inexperienced squad found themselves up against Equatorial Guinea — who beat them 1–0 — and then continental powerhouse Senegal.
The late switch meant McCarthy and his technical team had no time to readjust their plans, leaving their youthful lineup exposed against one of Africa’s strongest teams.