NEWS
Kenya unveil McCarthy as Harambee Stars coach
The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has today unveiled Benni McCarthy as the new national team head coach.
The unveiling of the new coach attended by several officials from FKF, government, sponsors and legends took place this afternoon at the Serena Hotel in Nairobi.
McCarthy who will work alongside fellow South African Moeneeb Josephs (goalkeepers coach) takes over from Francis Kimanzi who has been the Harambee Stars coach on an interim basis.
The new coach will go straight to work with his first games in charge being in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Gabon and Gambia this month.
“I am delighted to be here and can’t wait to get started to make Kenya one of the best Football teams,” said the former Bafana Bafana striker who was also joint top scorer at the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Egypt’s Hossam Hassan.
He also made it clear that he wants to take all the experience he has garnered working in Europe and in South Africa and put it into practice to make the Kenyan team very competitive and strong. “With the right leaders, right coaches and right work ethics I don’t think that there is anything that can stop us from succeeding with the Kenyan national team,” added McCarthy.
Hussein Mohammed, the FKF President said although many coaches applied for the job, they picked on McCarthy because he has the exposure in Europe and Africa and has the fire in the belly, and the passion that Kenya needs.
“Given his exposure and of course with all the support from the stakeholders, McCarthy will take the Kenyan team far,” added the FKF President who was flanked by his Vice President McDonald Mariga.
McCarthy who won the UEFA Champions League with Porto in 2004 as a player has managed South African sides Cape Town City and AmaZulu FC. He served as an assistant coach at Sint Truiden in Belgium, and was first-team coach in-charge of strikers at Manchester United under Dutch manager Erik Ten Hag.
Mukura Victory Sport have stunned reigning Rwanda Premier League champions APR FC 1-0 in a match played on Sunday at Amahoro Stadium.
Destin Malanda netted the lone goal after 19 minutes to silence the APR fans at the Stadium.
Recently signed Ugandan players Hakim Kiwanuka and Denis Omedi all started the match for APR FC, but the Mukura Victory Sport team employed a highly defensive approach. APR FC recently lifted Heroes Cup 2025.
After 18 matches played, the army side is placed second with 37 points, while Rayon Sports who were held to a 1-1 draw by Amagaju on Saturday are top with 41 points.
Mukura Victory Sport are placed sixth on the 16-team log with 27points, behind Police FC who have a point more.
The head coach of Simba SC has said facing Al Masry SC in the quarter final stage of the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup will not be an easy task.
After the draw was conducted yesterday in Qatar, the Tanzania Premier League side was drawn to face Egyptian side Al Masry SC.
Speaking after the draw Simba SC head coach Fadlu Davids has made it clear that at this level it is always very tricky and difficult because all the teams are good. “Facing Al Masry will not be easy. But we had pre-season in Egypt and we know what to expect when we play the first leg in Egypt,” explained the head coach.
Fadlu Davids made it clear that it was very important for Simba SC to top the group so that they play the first leg of the quarter final away from home.
The two-legged quarter-final matches will be played on April 2 and April 9 April, 2025.
In the other matches Cup holders Zamalek SC of Egypt will face Stellenbosch FC (South Africa), ASEC Mimosas (Ivory Coast) take on Morocco’s RS Berkane, and CS Constantine battle USM Alger in an Algerian derby.
The winner of the tie between Simba SC and Al Masry, and the clash between Zamalek SC and Stellenbosch FC, while the second semi-final will see the winner between RS Berkane and ASEC Mimosas battle the winner between USM Alger and CS Constantine.
Quarter-Finals fixture
Stellenbosch FC (South Africa) vs Zamalek SC (Egypt)
ASEC Mimosas (Ivory Coast) vs RS Berkane (Morocco)
CS Constantine (Algeria) vs USM Alger (Algeria)
Al Masry (Egypt) vs Simba SC (Tanzania)
Sudan’s Al Hilal have been drawn to face reigning champions Al Ahly at the quarter final stage of the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.
The draw of Africa’s most prestigious club tournament was conducted on Thursday at the beIN studio in Doha, Qatar.
Al Hilal are the only team from the CECAFA Zone to make it to the quarter final stage after Young Africans SC from Tanzania dropped out in the group stage.
Despite the political conflict in Sudan which forced Al Hilal handled by Florent Ibenge to play outside the country, they managed to top the group.
Incase Al Hilal eliminate the 12-time champions Al Ahly, they will face the winner between Mamelodi Sundowns and Esperance Sportive de Tunis at the semi-final stage.
The other two quarter final ties will see Pyramids FC (Egypt) take on AS FAR (Morocco), while Algeria’s MC Alger of Algeria face another South African side Orlando Pirates.
Matches at the quarter-final stage will be played over two legs, with the first leg scheduled for April 1st, 2025 and the return leg on April 8th.
Quarter finals
Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) vs Esperance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia)
Al Ahly SC (Egypt) vs Al Hilal SC (Sudan)
MC Alger (Algeria) vs Orlando Pirates (South Africa)
Pyramids FC (Egypt) vs AS FAR (Morocco)
Two teams from the CECAFA Zone Uganda and Tanzania have been placed in Group A ahead of the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025.
During the draw conducted on Thursday in Cairo, Egypt, the CECAFA Zonal champions Uganda have been placed with Tanzania, hosts Morocco and Zambia. In the final of the Zonal qualifiers Uganda stopped Tanzania 2-1.
The expanded tournament which will feature 16 teams is selected for March 30th to April 19th, 2025. The best 10 teams will qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup to take place in Qatar in November.
During the draw conducted by former Mali international Adama Coulibaly and ex-Senegal star Souleymane Camara will act as draw assistants, another team from the CECAFA Zone Somalia was placed in Group C alongside defending champions Senegal, Gambia and Tunisia.
The 2011 champions Burkina Faso are placed in Group B alongside the champion from UNIFFAC, South Africa and Egypt, while Group D has Mali, Angola, Cote d’Ivoire and the second team in the UNIFFAC qualifiers.
Group A: Morocco, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia
Group B: Burkina Faso, UNIFAC 1, South Africa, Egypt
Group C: Senegal, Gambia, Somalia, Tunisia
Group D: Mali, Angola, Cote D’Ivoire, UNIFFAC 2
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