Benni McCarthy on Porto’s Champions win: “If you didn’t, shush!” | OneFootball

Benni McCarthy, Kenya’s head coach, responded this Saturday to criticism over his decision to back goalkeeper Byrne Omondi, recently suspended by Gor Mahia after mistakes made in the heavy defeat to Pyramids in the African Champions League. After the 1-1 draw with Eritrea, the former FC Porto striker invoked the Champions League title he won and fired back: “shhh!”

Between an initial smile and a more serious speech, Benni McCarthy offered a firm defense of his own choices. In front of reporters, he claimed the authority to judge the player and argued that Omondi has the quality to compete outside the Kenyan league.

Faced with the criticism, the Kenya coach pulled rank and used the experience he has built up at the highest level to shut down the backlash. The response was short, provocative, and left no room for misunderstanding.

“What can I say? If you played in the Champions League final and won it... you understand football,” he began. “If you didn’t play in the Champions League final and didn’t win it... shhh!”

McCarthy thus turned his own résumé into an argument from authority. More than just discussing Omondi’s recent mistakes, he made it clear that he will not accept that episode as the final word on the goalkeeper’s value.

After smiling at the journalists, the South African adopted a more serious tone and went even further in defending the player, placing him on a level above the competition in which he currently plays.

“I don’t even understand how he is still playing in the Kenyan league. No disrespect to the local teams, but I think he is a goalkeeper who can play in Europe, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa,” he explained. “He’s that good.”

The message was unmistakable: for McCarthy, the mistakes that led to his suspension at Gor Mahia do not cancel out Omondi’s potential. The coach not only kept his faith in him, but also projected a more demanding competitive future for the goalkeeper.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.