Pitso Mosimane warns South Africa against underestimating Benni McCarthy's Kenya

With two important meetings against Kenya approaching, Pitso Mosimane has made it clear that South Africa cannot afford to underestimate their opponents.

Bafana Bafana head coach Pitso Mosimane has warned his players against complacency ahead of their back-to-back 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Kenya, insisting that Benni McCarthy's side deserve full respect.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Mosimane highlighted the possibility of Kenya playing with extra motivation if McCarthy's future as coach depends on the results.

Mosimane warns against an emotional Kenya side

“If a player or a coach’s future depends on the game, you’ve got to be very, very careful of that, because sometimes the players play for him and you can get the biggest surprise you can ever have,” Mosimane said.

“Be very careful of playing an emotional team, and especially when they have nothing to lose. They’re already in the Cup of Nations qualifiers… so we’re taking nothing for granted.”

The South African coach also praised McCarthy's coaching experience, particularly his time at Manchester United.

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“You’ve got to respect that Benni is a good coach. Benni was coach in Manchester United a dream that any coach in South Africa wishes to fulfil,” he said.

“Coaching Ronaldo, excuse me. So you’ve got to respect the level at which he has coached and the level at which he has played. None of us in the whole continent has got the gold medal of the Champions League.”

Cape Verde example reinforces Mosimane's message

Mosimane also pointed to Kenya's European-based players and warned against judging opponents by their perceived strength.

“Be careful of undermining teams. And also, as men from Cape Verde in the World Cup you must respect all your opponents. It’s all on the pitch, and until the referee blows his final whistle, then you can say you’ve won the game.

“I don’t live in the space of complacency, because I’ve lost many games to teams that were bottom of the world or so-called minnows.”

South Africa will host Kenya at Orlando Stadium on Friday before travelling to Nairobi for the return fixture.

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