Harambee Stars snubbed training twice this week while demanding allowances and unpaid salaries, with coach McCarthy coming out on Wednesday to spill the beans.
In a press conference, the former Manchester United assistant coach confirmed he had gone for months without salary alongside the technical bench and the players.
McCarthy further said he was not able to execute his job with the national team in Kenya because he didn’t have the permit to stay in the East African country.
"It’s been one and a half years now in Kenya, but we don’t have work permits. We can’t work as illegal immigrants. That’s why I come, do my job, then leave when the camp is finished," McCarthy told reporters.
Speaking ahead of Kenya’s first qualifying game against Eritrea at Nyayo Stadium on Saturday, McCarthy once again talked about the salary and visa issues while saying those responsible should be taken to account or face the axe.
'Bring in competent people'
"The people responsible must take accountability, or people must be looking to the fact that heads are going to roll and bring in competent people that will make things happen so that we are not in this again," McCarthy told Sporty TV, as quoted by Pulse Sports.
"When we have people in the federation that made this and that mistake, and we let it slide, at the end of the day, it is the national team that suffers the consequences."
McCarthy added: "It has a massive negative effect on everything: players’ concentration, mental toughness, because if you are going out to prepare against a tough opposition, a good African counterpart, you have to be 100% ready.
"If your mind is dwelling elsewhere because we are focusing on how we are going to get the money, then you will limit your preparation levels.
"We are not the best team out there, so we need to be mentally ready and focused, and so we can’t afford to have these distractions, and that is frustrating."
Olunga to miss qualifiers
McCarthy further confirmed the exclusion of striker Michael Olunga ahead of the two qualifiers owing to an injury.
"Michael Olunga came back from a serious injury and had a couple of appearances for his club, coming on as a sub and then on Monday, he started his first match since coming back from the injury," explained McCarthy.
"He told me he has a little bit of stiffness in his legs, and the scan picked up some strains, and we decided to avoid taking risks so that he can be available for the next matches and hopefully during AFCON 2027.
"We want to avoid anything bad happening to him and losing him for a long time. The smartest thing for me is to allow Michael to continue his rehab, and then we shall see."
Harambee Stars will kick off their campaign at home against Eritrea on September 26th at Nyayo Stadium, before making the long trip to West Africa to face Guinea on October 1st at Stade du 28 Septembre in Conakry.
The last time Kenya played Guinea was in 2008 during a FIFA World Cup qualifier, a game the Syli National won 3-2. The previous encounter had seen Kenya secure a 2-0 victory in the same qualifiers, while in 2005, Guinea defeated Kenya 1-0.
Kenya were drawn into a competitive Group D alongside South Africa, Guinea, and Eritrea for the 2027 qualifiers.
Kenya automatically sealed their place in the 2027 edition to be co-hosted in East Africa alongside Uganda and Tanzania, and will use the qualifiers as part of their preparations for the continental finals slated for June 19th to July 17th.
