Benni: I wasn’t offered the Mamelodi Sundowns job

But McCarthy is adamant Berg did not discuss the possibility of the all-time leading Bafana Bafana goal scorer taking over the coaching reins at Chloorkop. 

The 47-year-old, who is currently back in South Africa as a Carling Black Label Cup ambassador, has put reports linking him to the Sundowns job to bed.

"I love how you [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 recognised each other and just spoke in general," said McCarthy.

"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.

"So we basically just touched on that, talked about a lot of modern day football and South African football, and that was it. It never came up where there was insinuation – from his side or from mine – that there could be a collaboration with the club that he's working for.

"It was just an honest, just a normal chat, and that was it."

McCarthy, who has previously coached Cape Town City and AmaZulu in the PSL, added he saw no need why Sundowns should look to replace Manqoba Mngqithi. 

"They made the decision with the coaches that they have, and they are doing well, so I don't see why they should go and interfere there just because I'm no longer at a club, it doesn't make me available to join," he added.

"Like I said, I want a challenge, if it's the right project for me and it concurs with the club that's interested, then those are the challenges I want – I don't want to just go into any job just for the sake of wanting to coach, I'm not that desperate."

READ: We are being respected now - Manqoba Mngqithi