Benni McCarthy: Man Utd ruled out signing Osimhen because of Afcon schedule

Available for over a year

The former Premier League striker Benni McCarthy has given a wide-ranging interview to the BBC. He's the only South African to win the men's Champions League - that was with Jose Mourinho's Porto in 2004. He's also his national team's all-time top goal scorer and after a two year spell as a first-team coach at Manchester United he's now in charge of 2027 men's Africa Cup of Nations co-hosts Kenya. BBC Newsday presenter, Isaac Fanin, explains to Ed Harry why McCarthy believes the club vs country row that affected his playing days still impacts African players today. McCarthy says Manchester United didn't pursue a deal for Nigeria striker and 2023 African player of the year, Victor Osimhen, because they didn't want to sign a player they would lose to Afcon for two months in the middle of a Premier League season. The Africa Cup of Nations is to switch from biennial to quadrennial in 2028. McCarthy believes the tournament should have retained its traditional schedule in order to give more exposure to talent on the continent, but that more should have been done to prevent the finals from clashing with club competitions. Every Monday to Friday, More than the Score tells stories beyond the scoreline from all over the world of sport. From the Winter Olympics to the Super Bowl, the Australian Open to the Diamond League, and netball to Formula 1. We've got interviews with extraordinary athletes like skimo star Emily Harrop, snowboarding icon Scotty James and cycling sprint king Harrie Lavreysen, as well as the experts working behind the scenes, from the referees who run VAR to the coaches keeping athletes in peak form. Plus, we've got the expertise of the BBC's top journalists, who share their insights from decades of covering sport at all levels. And if you've got your own take on the stories we cover, we'd love to hear from you. Email [email protected], or WhatsApp us on 0044 800 032 0470. You can find more information, along with our privacy notice, on our website: www.bbcworldservice.com/morethanthescore