South African football legend Benni McCarthy has firmly dismissed speculation linking him to the head coaching role at Mamelodi Sundowns. The former Bafana Bafana striker clarified that a recent encounter with Sundowns sporting director Flemming Berg was purely coincidental and unrelated to any potential job discussions.
McCarthy, who is currently in South Africa as an ambassador for the Carling Black Label Cup, addressed the rumors:
“I love how you [the media] put that so nicely, ‘we met for tea.’ It was a bump-into-each-other-at-the-airport [encounter], and that was basically it. We recognized each other and just spoke in general,” he explained.
The 47-year-old detailed their conversation, emphasizing it was a casual chat focused on European football and South African football, rather than a professional proposition.
“It was more just a European football chat because Flemming just touched on the time when he worked for Chelsea as one of the international scouts, based in Portugal, and it was at the same time when I was playing at FC Porto,” McCarthy said. “We talked about modern-day football and South African football, and that was it. There was no insinuation from his side or mine about collaboration with his club.”
McCarthy, who has previously coached Cape Town City and AmaZulu in the PSL, further stated he saw no reason for Sundowns to seek a coaching change, given their current success under Manqoba Mngqithi and the technical team.
“They made the decision with the coaches they have, and they are doing well, so I don’t see why they should go and interfere there,” he added. “Just because I’m no longer at a club doesn’t mean I’m available to join. I want a challenge. If it’s the right project for me and aligns with the club that’s interested, then that’s what I want. I don’t want to just take any job for the sake of coaching—I’m not that desperate.”
McCarthy’s comments highlight his commitment to finding a project that aligns with his ambitions rather than pursuing opportunities indiscriminately.