Harambee Stars assistant coach Vasili Manousakis has revealed that Football Kenya Federation (FKF) vice president McDonald Mariga and former Kenya captain Victor Wanyama were the driving force behind Benni McCarthy's appointment as the national team's head coach.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsAccording to Manousakis, the former Kenyan midfield stars reached out to McCarthy and convinced him to take on the Harambee Stars project by sharing their vision for the future of Kenyan football.Harambee Stars prospect closing in on English League One transfer after Everton exitSpeaking in an interview with Kick Off, the South African assistant explained that conversations with Mariga and Wanyama were the catalyst that led to McCarthy assembling his backroom staff before accepting the job.“Yeah, the phone calls happened when McDonald Mariga, you know, and Victor Wanyama…brothers, probably the most famous Kenyans of the footballing guys. They contacted Coach Benni, told them about their vision,” Vasili Manousakis said.##NAJAVA_MECA_9879083##“Mariga is the vice president of the federation and is doing a fantastic job. So, you know, ex-players in management roles. And that's really how it happened, you know, sold the vision to Coach Benni. He started making the calls, got the group together again- myself, Joseph Moeneb and Pilela Maposa.”Gor Mahia land nightmare draw in CAF Champions League against 2025 championsManousakis said the newly assembled technical bench had little time to settle after accepting the challenge, with their first assignment coming almost immediately as Kenya resumed its 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.The assistant coach recalled how the staff had to adapt quickly while implementing McCarthy's philosophy within the squad.##NAJAVA_MECA_9878668##“Before we knew it, we were in camp, flying into one of the World Cup qualifiers; we really had to hit the ground running. But we've found our feet since then, and it's been amazing. We got the support from the federation, we got the support from the football-loving public,” Vasili Manousakis said.Dennis Oliech offers advice on how to grow Kenyan footballHe believes the team has made significant progress in understanding the coaching staff's playing philosophy, pointing to Kenya's performances at the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) as evidence of that development.“We know how we want to play, we know our principles, we know our models, and we try to instil that as quickly as possible into the team, and we had a fairly successful CHAN. I think we could have gone a little bit further, but that's the nature of the tournament.”##NAJAVA_MECA_9878676##Manousakis also dismissed any claims of interference in the national team setup, insisting the Football Kenya Federation has given the technical bench the freedom and backing needed to build a competitive side.“So no interference from anybody, no issues. You know, the ban was lifted, as you said, and from there we just went from strength to strength. And the support has been, so far, great,” he added.Tusker receive favourable draw in CAF Confederation Cup returnMcCarthy was appointed Harambee Stars head coach in March 2025 on a contract that will keep him in charge until the conclusion of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which Kenya will co-host alongside Uganda and Tanzania.
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