NAIROBI, Kenya, July 30, 2025 - Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy says star player Mohammed Bajaber was in no shape to play at the African Nations Championships (CHAN).
The South African says Bajaber was struggling to recover from his thigh injury and wouldn't have been of much help to the national team's cause.
"We had to make a decision on whether to keep one of our better players in the team and hope that he would recover in time for the knockout stages and then throw him into action. He would have missed all of our group stage matches and we also thought it would be unfair on the other players who work hard. So, we made that tough decision that it would be probably better to let him go and recover fully," McCarthy said.
The Kenya Police forward was conspicuously missing from the final squad on Wednesday evening.
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This is amid reports that he is close to putting ink to paper on a deal with Tanzanian giants Simba SC.
McCarthy said the impending move is also a great opportunity for Bajaber to focus on recovering without the pressure of having to be ready for CHAN.
"Instead of keeping him here around us and yet he is not going to play a part in any case, we rather just let him go to get the necessary treatments and work that he needs from his new club," the former Porto striker said.
McCarthy has on several occasions spoken of the former Nairobi City Stars forward as one of the first names on his team sheet.
Bajaber scored in Harambee Stars' 3-3 draw with the Gambia in the 2026 World Cup qualifier in Abidjan - which was also McCarthy maiden game in charge.
He, however, missed out on the national team's twin international friendlies against Chad in Morocco in June.
With CHAN on the horizon, McCarthy has been sweating over the forward's fitness, even setting up a specialised training regimen to get him up to shape.
The gaffer admits the loss stings him to the heart.
"He is one of our better players in the national team. I believe in him a lot and I gave him his first opportunity. He's always been loyal to me, the national team as well as his teammates. He got a tear in thigh muscle and he has been nursing that towards the end of the season and even now. We thought he was halfway towards recovering and could be available midway through the group stages," McCarthy said.
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With Bajaber now out of the picture, McCarthy will have to rely on Tusker's Ryan Ogam, Migori Youth's Masoud Juma, Ulinzi Stars' Boniface Muchiri, Posta Rangers' Felix Oluoch, Bandari's David Sakwa and the Shabana duo of Austin 'Lastborn' Odongo and Brian Michira, for goals.
