Post Match: Sofapaka (A)

Leopards lost 3-1 against a resurgent Sofapaka.

MichezoAfrika through a report by Dennis Machio reports:-

Bob Mugalia struck himself a second brace in a week to guide his team to a 3-1 win over AFC Leopards in an entertaining KPL fixture played at the Nyayo stadium on Wednesday night. John Lefty Njoroge added the third for Sofapaka while new signing Naimana Jonas scored Ingwe’s consolation goal from a free kick on his debut.

The loss is the third straight defeat for AFC Leopards with coach Nick Yakhama facing a tumultuous moment at the Ingwe’s bench having managed a single win since taking over a couple of months back.

AFC Leopards threw in their best starting with a twin attack of Chinjili and Baraza while diminutive Ugandan striker Jimmy Bageya sneaked in through the wings.AFC started on a positive with Chinjili powering through the defenders but his attempt was deflected for a corner in the 2nd minute.

Mieno Humphrey almost responded immediately on the other end with a sharp bouncing header that was parried off the line by Tiema.

Bob Mugalia who seems to have regained his top form came calling in the 17th minute rounding off the AFC Leopards defenders to sleek home Sofapaka’s first goal.

Sofapaka silenced the AFC Leopards’ Isukuti with their flamboyant passing in the midfield and could have scored a classic goal in the 25th minute from 15 uninterrupted passes but Mugalia from the edge of the box blasted the final touch over the cross bar.

John Njoroge notched in the 2nd of Sofapaka’s goal from a lovely Humphrey Mieno lob that deflected off an AFC Leopards defender. Lefty chipped the ball beyond an advancing Tiema in goal to cushion his team to a comfortable 2-0 lead by the breather.

After the second goal coach Yakhama pulled off Martin Imbalambala in the 37th minute for new signing Collins Kisuya in an attempt to seal off a leaking space at the backline.

From the break, AFC Leopards piled the pressure in search of the equalizer and it was the new signings who produced the moment that brought back hope when Chinjili was brought down at the edge of the box by Musa Mudde.Jonas Naimana in his debut for AFC Leopards curled the resultant free kick beyond the wall to reduce the margin to 2-1.

The goal resuscitated the sinking Leopard as they maintained their attacking tempo with Mike Baraza and Muyoti coming close to leveling but the attacks were met with a quick damaging counter attack.

A deep ball from the center found a cunning Petit Kagogo who reduced two defenders with his step overs, lobbed the ball for John Baraza, Baraza dummied a carelessly advancing Waudo in the box before laying a hard square pass over to an unmarked Mugalia on the right.Mugalia wasted no chance sending a diagonal rocket shot to the far post beyond a hapless Tiema to advance the score line to 3-1 in the 79th minute.

“It was a lovely outing for us and we are delighted with the win. We have found our winning form and we hope to maintain the same.” Said Humphrey Mieno after the match.

The win moves Sofapaka up to 5th spot with 23 points same as Gor Mahia and Western Stima but Batoto Ba Mungu hold a better goal aggregate.AFC is 12th on the chat with 16 points from 14 matches. AFC Leopards next face Gor Mahia to finish their first leg fixtures.

James Wokabi writing for Supersport reports:

Bob Mugalia scored a brace as Sofapaka’s resurgence continued with a 3-1 hiding of AFC Leopards at Nyayo National Stadium on Wednesday evening.

John Njoroge got the other goal as the 2009 champions outclassed, out-thought and out-fought Leopards in a performance full of verve and vigour to register their third win in four matches. 

The result lifted them upto fifth in the league standings with 23 points ahead of Gor Mahia on goal difference.

It was Leopards’ third straight defeat adding pressure on Coach Nick Yakhama who has now only won one match since he took over. 

Leopards had spent a fortune in the transfer window and the coach threw on the new boys with Mike Baraza, Jimmy Bageya and Francis Chinjili forming a three pronged attack.

Matches between these sides are always explosive and Leopards keeper Boniface Tiema had to be at his best to keep out a Humphrey Mieno header on five minutes.

They went ahead on 17 minutes when Mugalia chased down a long ball, sneaked in past defender John Amboko to flick past the keeper before slotting it into an empty net.

The goal lifted the victors and they could have increased the lead on 25 minutes when a three minute spell of possession ended with a great chance for Mugalia only for the striker to fire over.

A minute later, Patrick Kagogo dragged his shot wide and on the half hour mark, Titus Mulama forced Tiema to a low save.

They went two up four minutes before halftime when Mieno put Njoroge through on goal, the ball took a fortunate touch off a defender and Njoroge made no mistake with a fine finish off the post.

Leopards started the second half eager to reduce the deficit and they halved it on 56 minutes.

Chinjili was brought down on the edge of the box and fellow new signing Jonas Nahimana curled in a quite delightful freekick to make it 2-1.

But any hopes of a comeback were dashed 11 minutes from time after a lightning counter attack. Kagogo found John Baraza down the left and his nifty footwork left Edgar Waudo on his backside before crossing for Mugalia who crashed a first time volley into the net.

Kenyanstar in a report by Timothy Olobulu reports:

Bob Mugalia struck his second brace within the span of a week as Sofapaka humbled AFC leopards 3-1 in a thrilling KPL encounter played last night at the Nyayo National Stadium

Coming into the game with four new players who had been signed with a huge lumpsome in the transfer window, AFC started swift off the blocks with Mike Barasa and Francis Chinjili leading the early on-slot.

The Sofapaka defense marshaled by Mudde Musa and Edgar Ochieng though kept their discipline to ensure that AFC did not get the opener that would otherwise charge them more.

With Jimmy Bageya running on the left, Barasa on the right and Chinjili printed as the main man in front of goal, Ingwe continued with their unfruitful surge for goals. Sofapaka looked calm all through as they chose to play cautiously, possibly waiting for the chance to prowl on the Leopard.

This they did in the 21st minute when Bob Mugalia took advantage of a defensive mix up between Martin Imbalambala, Edgar Waudo and keeper Barnabas Tiema to lob in the opener.

In almost similar fashion, John Njoroge added to Ingwe’s woes in the 39th minute with the defense caught napping and in a mix up. Sofapaka now took total control of the match with the hundreds of AFC fans who had thronged the stadium watched affairs with their heads down, while the Sofapaka drumbeats grew louder and louder.

Sensing that the defense was not doing its job appropriately, Nick Yakhama was forced to pull out Martin Imbalambala and brought in Collins Kisuya as the first half grew old. Papi Naimana was drawn back into central defense while Kisuya took the left back.

Come the second half, Ingwe came with renewed vigour pressing the attack from the time Nassur Doka’s whistle blew. 17 minutes from the restart, new kid Jonas “Papi” Naimana gave Ingwe something to smile with a clinically executed freekick, breathing a sigh of hope into the whole Stadium.

The Leopards grew in attack but the Sofapaka defense proved hard to crack. Mike Barasa and Francis Chinjili were carefully guarded by the Sofapaka defense with Thomas Wanyama constantly being in the Shadow of Mike Barasa while Mudde Musa was left to take care of Jimmy Bageya.

Bob Mugalia then broke the hearts of Ingwe fans more as he completed his brace in the 85th minute. Idrissa Rajab started the move from theor own half, giving the ball to Patrick Kagogo who with the first touch released John Baraza. The captain who had enjoyed a good game took on Edgar Waudo, floored him with a dummy before releasing a pass to Mugalia from the outside of his foot. The mo-hawked striker put the ball down, looked up and unleashed a shot that beat Tiema into his far right corner.

The win now sees Batoto Ba Mungu, who have scored seven goals in two matches, move to 5th position on 23 points while AFC remains rooted in 12th with 169 points, only three shy of the relegation zone.

KPL Standings

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Rangers	15	8	5	2	20	9	11	29
2	Tusker	15	8	3	4	16	7	9	27
3	Ulinzi Stars	15	7	6	2	16	9	7	27
4	KCB	15	7	4	4	22	12	10	25
5	Sofapaka	15	6	5	4	20	11	9	23
6	Gor Mahia	13	6	5	2	12	9	3	23
7	Western Stima	15	6	5	4	9	8	1	23
8	Thika United	15	6	3	6	18	19	-1	21
9	Chemelil Sugar	15	4	6	5	8	12	-4	18
10	Mathare United	15	4	5	6	15	15	0	17
11	Karuturi Sports	15	4	5	6	7	11	-4	17
12	AFC Leopards	14	5	1	8	12	16	-4	16
13	Sony Sugar	14	4	4	6	9	15	-6	16
14	Congo United	15	3	5	7	11	21	-10	14
15	Bandari	15	4	1	10	11	24	-13	13
16	City Stars	15	3	3	9	8	16	-8	12

Pre Match: Sofapaka (A)

KenyanStar in an article by Timothy Olobulu reports:-

Come Wednesday the 29th of June, the Nyayo National Stadium floodlights will breathe fire; literally. Just after hosting another fireball between Thika United and Tusker FC, the league’s two “big cats” Sofapaka and AFC leopards will purr, just to know who is “sweeter” than the other.


Coming off from an impressive league and continental record Sofapaka will seek to make it another big victory in the league as they seek to put back their title ambitions on track. AFC leopards on their side will come in as a revamped side; eight new signings and a renewed vigor.


The last time AFC Leopards won a match was on the 2nd of May when they beat Bandari 2-0, which was also Nick Yakhama’s first match in charge. They have gone on to lose thrice and drawn once in their consecutive four matches. They lost to Thika United in Mumias before playing out to a 1-1 draw with Yakhama’s immediate former team Chemelil, lost 1-2 to Sony at home then 1-0 against Mathare United.


For Sofapaka, the worst result they have registered in their last six games is a 3-0 loss away to Club Africainne in the CAF confederations cup. In the league, the worst result in their last four games was a 0-0 draw against Western Stima at Bukhungu. They have registered huge wins including a 5-0 thrashing of Congo United and a 4-1 beating of Thika.


Sofapaka coach Francis KImanzi says that they are fully focused on the league now that the CAF duties are over. He says that some poor results they were registering in the league there before were due to the clogging of fixtures.


“We played three leagues within a week and there was no way we were gong to ave good results in all of them. We had put more concentration on CAF and now that we are out, we will remain focused on the league”, he said after the 4-1 thrashing of Thika.


AFC Leopards coach Nick Yakhama is a man under siege. He told AFC leopards fans that they should not expect to win the league this season, something that did not go down well with them. Just last week during the unveiling of new players, Club Chairman Alex Ole Magelo told him that there is no excuse of not posting good results with the kind of players they have aquired during the transfer window.


Yakhama now says that he does not feel the pressure from the fans nor the chairman but the only pressure he has is pressure to win the match.


“I have no pressure from fans or from the chairman because that is normal for them to demand results. I am under pressure from my own jurisdiction as a coach to produce a win”, he says.


He adds that he is ready for a win when they face Sofapaka tonight and adds that the new players will add some gas into his system. He says that he is yet to decide whether he wil use all of them or not.


“Okwemba is out because he was suffering from Malaria. Syongoh will also be out. All the other six will be available and I am yet to make a decision whether I will field all of them or not. I have trained with them for only three days but I expect some positive result from them. Sofapaka is a good side with experienced players and they have had time to gel together”, he adds.


Head to head record:


Out of their four meetings since 2009 when Sofapaka made a debut and won the league, AFC Leopards has only won once against Batoto Ba Mungu with their best result being a draw.


In 2009, the two teams drew 1-1 in the first leg before Sofapaka came back with a resounding 4-1 victory in the second leg. Last season, AFC cast the first stone winning the first leg 1-0 while the second leg will forever become un-scratched from the minds of Ingwe fans.


After being beaten 4-2, then Sofapaka coach Sam Ssimbwa is alleged to have raised his middle finger at AFC fans, who in retaliation turned violent, leading to their 3match ban.


Away from their past meetings, in the league currently, Sofapaka stand ahead of Ingwe in the league standings. Batoto Ba Mungu are placed 7th with 20 points while Ingwe lie 12th on 16 points.


Out of their 14 matches this season, Sofapaka has won 5, drawn a similar number and lost four. They have kept a total of seven clean sheets, while failing to score in similar matches. They have scored an average of at least a goal per match. Their biggest victory still remains to be the 5-0 Congo whooping while their biggest loss is the 0-2 defeat at the hands of Rangers. They have scored a total of 17 goals while conceding 10.


For AFC Leopards, they have played 13 matches so far, won 5, drew one and lost seven. Theie biggest victory was earlier in the season when they beat Rangers 3-1 while their heaviest defeat was the 2-0 beating by Thika United. AFC custodian Barnabas Tiema who has witnessed a rise in form has kept at least three clean sheets. Ingwe has struck the net 11 times with their opponents retaliating, banging 13 goals on their faces.


This match is poised to be as breathtaking as it sounds with both teams expected to play speedy football. Sofapaka are known for their tactical approach and their main arsenal lie in extremely fast counter attacks powered by thunder-speed wingers.


Bob Mugalia, Patrick Kagogo and Thomas Wanyama (who surprisingly will be up against his Father’s team) might just be the chief destroyers for Sofapaka. Kagogo commonly referred to as Petit is a player whose small structure might fool you to dismiss him. But once he lays his feet on the ball and gets on the go, the destruction he might cause is unquestionable. Bob Mugalia is another character almost similar to Kagogo. He only adds shooting power and a goal hungry nature to it. Thomas “Heskey” Wanyama’s speed on the right side of defense, his accurate crosses and dead ball speciality are Sofapaka’s assets.


AFC Leopards wil have to be steady especially in defense. Their new signings Collins Kisuya and Papi Naimana are expected to bring stability to the defense. The spicing up of the attack by former Ulinzi striker Mike Barasa will be the much needed relief for Ingwe as goal scoring has been their major undoing.


Probable line ups


Sofapaka


Francis Kimanzi is a man known to retain his winning formula. The team that beat Thika is likely set to remain the same.


George Opiyo will guard goal with Thomas Wanyama and Idrissa Rajab pulling wide in defense on the right and left consecutively. Central defense will most likely see Edgar “Fighter” Ochieng and Dodo Kayombo partner. In midfield, Mudde Musa might start at the centre alongside Humphrey Mieno who will most likely be playing jis final match before he heads to Tunisia. Titus Mulama and Patrick Kagogo might pull strings on the wings with Bob Mugalia and Captain John Baraza doing duty in attack.


AFC Leopards


Barnabas Tiema is expected to keep guard at goal while the defense wil most likely comprise of Collins Kisuya on the left, Papi Naimana on the right, while Martin Imbalambala and Edgar Waudo might make the partnership at the centre.
In midfield, Captain Nicholas Muyoti might partner with Liberian Abraham Cokie at the centre. Silas Aluvisia and Laurent Tumba might be deployed to the wings. The attack is most likely going to be comprised of Mike Barasa and Emmanuel Tostao.

Elsewhere, sources have revealed the line ups as follows:-

Post Match: Mathare Utd (A)

Leopards lost 1-0 against Mathare United.

The KPL website reports:-

A MATHARE United side full of young pretenders beat an equally experimental AFC Leopards selection 1-0 in Kenyan Premier League at the National Stadium on Thursday night.

Determination of two sides going through a testing period produced a thrilling match. Both were desperate for points but it was the Mathare, languishing in the relegation zone, who were rewarded with vital three points to push up the table to 13th place. Leopards are now 10th.

It was very fitting that the most competent player of the evening, Mathare United’s Kenya midfield trialist Kevin Kimani, scored that brilliant match winning goal in the 13th minute.

From the right flank, rookie Jesse Were ingeniously back-heeled a pass to Innocent Mutiso, who raced for the corner flag before striking the cross into the Leopards box. It did not find the waiting Kevin “Dugary” Omondi, but instead, defender Edgar Waudo who cut it off to fall perfectly on the path of Kimani. A gloriously blast into the net went past a helpless Leopards’ ‘keeper Barnabas Tiema.

Evidence of the two teams’ lack of playing depth and forecast of a struggling season was in the pre-match team sheet. “Lightweight” was written all over the two squads.

Kimani is a promising player but he is no “old warrior”, a tag remotely fitting only captain Anthony Kimani, Lloyd Wahome and ‘keeper Joseph Ruto in the Mathare United line-up. For Leopards, skipper Nicholas Muyoti, albeit perhaps over the hill, and two-season defender, Martin Imbalambala, were the only experienced players.

But that is the personnel the two sides have to make with for the rest of the season, barring some serious buying in the current mid-season transfer window trading.

The teams, did however, give it their all. Defender John Odhiambo Ongoro, midfielder Elvis Nandwa and Were were the freshest faces in the Mathare side. Waudo, Abraham Cockie, Augustine Etemesi, Emmanuel Tostao, Brian Masiolo and Silas Aluvisia displayed the sweeping changes Leopards have just witnessed after the departure of virtually all its regular side.

Masiolo was, however the first to cause worries for Mathare. He was high in the air in the seventh minute, reaching for the ball under the challenge of Ongoro and ‘keeper Ruto which resulted in a crash of bodies and Ruto coming off worst, enough to take a pause to ease his pain.

In the ninth minute, Were put Mutiso through on the left wing, but the winger’s shot travelled right across the face of goal without finding a Mathare yellow shirt to guide it in.

After Kimani’s goal, Leopards responded by raising the tempo of their raids, putting Mathare severely on the back-foot. Before the break, Wahome had to clear a ball from the line as it headed for goal.

Leopards were strongly off the blocks after the break. Inside the first minute they had a ball, floated into the box being, and brilliantly headed past beleaguered Mathare defenders and into the net. But the final executor, Masiolo was marginally beyond the off-side line when the delivery was made.

Ruto pulled off a good save again from Masiolo in the 48th minute. In the 81st minute, it was the turn of the efficient Wahome to clear by the post, another Leopards’ goal-bound ball. Concerted, frantic all-out defending by the Mathare midfield and backline barely enabled them survive in the last quarter of an hour.

But, however, it was a Mathare man, Were, who had the last real of opportunity to score when in a 90th minute counter-attack, he travelled from the middle of the pitch and managed to arrive alone in the Leopards’ box with only Tiema to beat. The ‘keeper, however managed to narrow the angle and drive Were’s kick round the upright for a corner.

It was Mathare’s first victory in nine matches, their last league success dating back to April 10 when they beat Karuturi Sport 3-0.

“I am very happy. It was a long time coming,” said United coach Salim Ali. “Getting three points helps to lift the morale.”

Referring to the selection of rookies he has to make do with in this year’s campaign Ali added: “They were great; lots of courage and show of character. At times we made mistakes but they are definitely graduating… we are getting somewhere.”

He concluded: “This releases a lot of pressure before our next game against Bandari [in Nairobi]. If we win that one too, it will be good before the start of the second leg of the season.”

Nick Yakhama of Leopards said: “First I must thank the lads because they really fought all way. That was fantastic attacking football. Once you are a goal down you just have to attack.

“I brought in two more strikers to replace midfielders because that was the only option left. We kept on going forward, looking for the goal, but we were unlucky.”

TEAMS:

MATHARE UNITED - 1. Joseph Ruto: 13. Athman Buki (26. Edwin Oduor, 90’), 18. John Odhiambo Ongoro, 15. Anthony Kimani (captain), 17. Lloyd Wahome, 4. Dennis Nzomo, 19. Elvis Nandwa, 22. Kevin Kimani, 21. Kevin “Dugary” Omondi (12. Tirus Omondi, 67’), 25. Jesse Were, 11. Innocent Mutiso (2. Kevin Omogi, 80’)

Reserves not used - 30. Malcolm Barnaba, Gk; 7. Vincent Okelo, 29. Andrew Tololwa, 23. Kevin Opiyo

Scorer - 22. Kevin Kimani (13’)

Coach - Salim Ali

AFC LEOPARDS - 19. Barnabas Tiema: 13. Edgar Waudo, 5. Edwin Wafula, 4. Martin Imbalambala, 3. John Amboko, 23. Abraham Cockie (10. Joseph Okumu, 68’), 12. Augustine Etemesi (8. Laurent Tumba, 60’), 6. Nicholas Muyoti, captain (22. Bernard Mang'oli, 60’), 21. Emmanuel Tostao, 7. Brian Masiolo, 14. Silas Aluvisia

Reserves not used - 1. Patrick Matasi, Gk; 33. John Shamala, 18. Salim Khamis, 20. Shaban Abdulrama

Coach - Nick Yakhama

Referee - Raphael Nduati

Assistant ref - Mike Mwangi

Asst ref - Moses Waswa

Reserve ref - Davies Omweno

Match commissioner - James Maranga

MichezoAfrika reports:-

Mathare United ended a streak of poor result with a deserved 1-0 win over AFC leopards in an entertaining Kenyan Premier League match played at the Nyayo National Stadium on Thursday evening.

Mathare United's Kevin Kimani goal in the 28th minute proved the killer punch after a defensive mix-up by AFC Leopards. Kimani’s goal also marked the 200th goal of the Kenyan Premier League this season.

After going down 0-1 in the first half, AFC came back in the second period a wounded leopard camping in the Mathare half but luck did not knock home for the Yakhama boys despite mounting attack after attack.

Mathare United coach Salim Ali while speaking after the match praised the performance of AFC Leopards terming their fighting spirit as an admirable spectacle.

“They were unlucky today, they played so well in the second half but I thank God for the points we gathered today” He said.

AFC Leopards’ coach Nick Yakhama on his side blamed poor finishing on the loss but has promised to introduce some new players in the squad by the end of next week.

"Today was a bad day for us. We missed many open chances and our finishing was poor. We are in talks with some clubs and soon enough we shall unveil our new players who will add strength in our squad.” Said Yakhama.

The win gives coach Salim a temporal relief as his side moved from the second bottom position to the 13th position in the KPL table Standings.

The Standard in a report by Bismarck Mutahi says:-

Mathare United coach Salim Ali is a happy man though not relieved. But his AFC Leopards counterpart Nick Yakhama must be thinking the world is against him, as he cannot get a winning formula. 

Ali was grateful to Harambee Stars midfielder Kevin Kimani, whose lone strike in the 27th minute at the Nyayo National Stadium on Thursday night was enough to lift the Slum Boys off the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) chopping board.

"I can say I’m happy, but still not relieved as we still have some work to do in the next matches," Ali said during the post- match press conference.

On his part Yakhama said he was happy with the way his team played though they didn’t get the three points and focus was now on the next match against Sofapaka on June 29.

Both coaches went into the match needing a morale boosting win, but Ali’s cause was not helped as he had to draft 17-year-old Elvis Nandwa in his starting eleven what with the many first team players on the treatment table.

As if that was not enough, his attack was left to another youngster Jesse Were who is only playing in his first season in the pressure cooker that is the KPL. 

Were was supported in attack by a holding midfielder in Kevin Omondi, with Andrew Tololwa only fit for the bench while another experienced striker Kevin Ouma could only watch from the stands alongside Simon Mburu, Jacob Keli and first choice keeper Martin Musalia.

On his part, Yakhama was boosted by the return of inspirational defender Martin Imbalambala, but did not have the opportunity to field the likes of Ugandan import Jimmy Bageya, whose move from City Stars is still in the boardroom.

It was Mathare, however, who settled faster in the match although the first chance fell to Leopard’s Silas Aluvisia in the second minute, but his indecision in the box cost him and Mathare cleared the danger.The Mathare centre backs of captain Anthony Kimani and Llyod Wahome were called into action once again in the seventh minute when goalkeeper Joseph Ruto misjudged a cross from Augustine Etemesi from Leopards left wing, but Wahome was on hand to clear the ball off the line.

Mathare, who were now bossing the midfield with youngster Nandwa outstanding in the centre alongside Dennis Nzomo got their chance to go ahead in the 13th minute only for Kevin Kimani to shootwide with only goalkeeper Barnabas Tiema to beat after being put through on goal by Omondi.Before that Aluvisia had won a corner for Leopards off the boot of Athman Buki with Emmanuel Tostao blazing his shot over the bar.

Mathare’s goal, however, arrived in the 27th minute after a move that involved Nzomo, Omondi, Innocent Mutiso and Kevin Kimani.

Pre Match: Mathare Utd (A)

Last year, Leopards shared two draws with Mathare United. That is enough to tempt some pundits to call tonight's game another draw.

Supersport previews the match with Collins Okinyo calling a draw

Mathare United Vs AFC Leopards (Nyayo Stadium) 

It’s been a terrible season for Mathare United who find themselves second from bottom with only eleven points.

Coach Salim Ali is feeling the pressure after losing two and drawing two of their last four matches which has seen the team slide into the relegation zone. 

They face an AFC Leopards side that has undergone major changes in recent weeks. The club released nine players and is in the process of recruiting their replacements. 

Since his appointment, Coach Nick Yakhama has won just one match and he needs a win quieten murmurs of discontent. 

Our Prediction: 1-1

KenyanStar has a very good preview by Timothy Olubolu.

Tonight from 7pm, Nyayo national stadium will be graded H: HOT! 

A battle royale is already looming as AFC Leopards visit Mathare United in a clash that is most likely set to determine the future of the two teams in the league running. For the first time this season, Mathare United find themselves in an unfamiliar relegation spot, plabted on 15th place with 11 points out of 13 matches, after Saturday’s 0-2 loss at the hands of Nairobi City Stars.

Since their 2-1 beating by Sony Sugar on 21st of May, AFC leopards have not kicked a ball in the league and have had a massive 25 days to prepare for their next league assignment. Well, since then, 9 players were released by the club and they are yet to be replaced with rumors of transfers but no confirmed move.

Mathare Coach Salim Ali is a worried man especially with the reality sinking hard and soft like snow of his crew being in the cut zone. He says that hope is not lost and he is optimistic of a positive result when he plays tonight.

“It is not a good feeling when your team is at a position you are not used to. You have to work hard and I will be aiming for maximum points when I play AFC Leopards. It is a big team, they have a good work rate so I will take them head on”, he says.

His opposite number Nick Yakhama is a besieged man. After telling AFC Leopards fans that winning the league was a far-fetched Idea, he seems to have ignited a cold war with a section of fans who see this as a sign of giving up.

He will be a man who must win tonight’s match so as to regain confidence with the supporters. He however is highly optimistic that a good result will brew out of the Nyayo Stadium tonight. Placed at 10th with 16 points out of 12 matches, winning the match will slide them up the ladder.

“I am confident of a win. We have prepared well for this match. We want to put ourselves on a good position by the time we end the first leg. So we are beginning with wrapping up these three points from Mathare”, he says.

Out of their four meetings between the two since 2009, both have won a piece while the remaining two remained draws. In 2009, Mathare won the first leg when they were playing home, beating the Leopard 1-0. In the return leg, Ingwe sharpened its claws to beat the slum boys 2-1.

In 2010, AFC Leopards played home in the first leg with the game ending in a 1-1 stalemate with the second leg being dramatic and ending 3-3 with Ekene Emekwe equalizing for AFC in the 90th minute. Mathare scored first through Andrew Tololwa, before AFC equalized through Demonde Selenga, now out of the club. Ingwe added a second through Joseph Okumu before Dennis Nzomo equalized for Mathare. They went a goal up via John Mburu, and Ekene equalized in the 90th minute just as AFC fans were trooping out of the Stadium in disappointment.

Will it be as thrilling today as it was last season? Be at the Nyayo Stadium from 7pm to enjoy the action.

In the mainstream newspapers, it is the Standard that features a preview of the match by Gilbert Wandera. 



Mathare United coach Salim Ali says his team will be looking to bounce back from a poor start to the season with a positive result against AFC Leopards on Thursday evening at the Nyayo National Stadium.

The match kicks off at 7pm and will be live on SuperSport and is one of the two Kenyan Premier League (KPL) matches lined-up for on Thursday. 

The other one is a clash between Western Stima and Sofapaka. Afc leopards
Ali has predicted that on Thursday will be the turning point for a club that has struggled to live up to their good performance in the previous years.

"We believe we can collect all three points today and end our poor show. We hope to start the second leg on a positive note and it will be important that we win not only today but also against Bandari at the weekend," he said.
Ali has also warned that the club risks being relegated if they do not sign at least two senior players in this transfer window.

"There is no short-cut to ending our poor start. If we do not get some senior players the results will be the same in the second leg," he warned.

He added: "Everybody is pointing out that we are having a bad season and they are right but one thing they forget is that in the last ten years we have always had quality players and even when they go we have managed to quickly replace them.

"What is happening this season is that we are losing quality players to our opponents without replacing them with the same calibre and unless we do something drastic we are in trouble.

"The players we have cannot give us the kind of performance we are looking for because they lack the experience to play at this level. We need the kind of players who can give us a consistent performance," he added.
Ali’s woes are unlikely to end with the Mathare management not keen on buying players from outside the Mathare Youth Sports Association.

Pressure will, however, be on both teams to turn around what has been a less than satisfactory season.
It has been a surprising season for Mathare, one that they would want to end quickly.
The club used to being among the top contenders in the KPL find themselves among the bottom in the standings and recently lost 2-0 to fellow tail-enders Nairobi City Stars.

On the other side, Leopards are doing no better and lost their last fixture 2-2 to Sony. Coach Nick Yakhama is a man under pressure to deliver. Former Nairobi City Stars forward Jimmy Bagaye is expected to play his first match for Leopards on Thursday and a score from him will be a positive way to start his AFC career.

Coach Ali will therefore be looking to turn around a poor season with a win over AFC.

The Nation has a short preview by Odindo Ayieko

Meanwhile, Mathare United, champions in 2008 who are now threatened with relegation, have a chance to move off the second-last spot when they face Leopards at Nyayo on Thursday.

Mathare have won only two of their 13 games and have 11 points, same as bottom-placed Nairobi City Stars.

They meet a Leopards side boosted by new arrivals – Francis Chinjili from Western Stima, Jimmy Bagaye (City Stars) and Charles Okwemba (Rangers).

The poor showing by Mathare has their coach, Salim Ali, concerned. “Of course we are in an unfamiliar territory and we have to pull up our socks,” he said.

“We have 17 games remaining, so there is still a chance we can finish in a good position. But we have to start winning.”

Constitution Review

Guest post by CLAWS

Before amending a constitution, it is important for people to understand what they are supposed to be amending. The current constitution of Leopards can be downloaded here or by clicking the link http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?59sha1smes8roca

 

It has been proposed by the Executive Committee of the club through an announcement made through this link that the club intends to amend the same and that the proposed draft constitution can be accessed here or by clicking the link http://www.afcleopards.net/assets/files/AFC%20LEOPARDS%20CONSTITUTION%202011%20revised.pdf

CLAWS, a Leopards Supporters Trust, having gone through the proposed constitution, makes the following observations about the proposed amendments. 

Pg	Clause	Comments
Front		Replace word AMMENDED with AMENDED
1	Preamble	This preamble is unnecessary and should probably be deleted.  Further, the references to AFC Leopards community, AFC, AFC Leopards should all be uniform so that it remains AFC Leopards Sports Club (‘the Club’). The word community is not defined anywhere in the document.
2	Name	This clause seeks to replace the word ‘Club’ with ‘Society’. It is an unnecessary amendment as the full name of the club is AFC Leopards Sports Club. Section 2 of the Societies Act defines a society to include a club so there is no need to use two separate terms. In any event, for consistency, some parts of the document have referred to the word ‘Club’ such as Clause 3(a), the last word.
2	Club Colours	This is not necessary. The colours of the club are a marketing function of the club. The team also plays in other kit such as red and black and others which need not be mentioned in the constitution. To the extent that colours have different shades and what may be cyan, cobalt blue, sky blue, denim, international Klein blue duke blue can all be taken as blue. It is better for the colour to develop as an identity rather than be forced by way of a constitution.
2	Objects	Firstly, the objects of an organization should be different from the aims of the organization and should be distinguished from the methods of doing the activities of the organization. ‘Why do we exist as a club?’ is the question that should be answered by the objects. Providing good institutional governance structure as per 3(h) for instance, or gender parity under 3(j) is not the aim of the club. This should be deleted in addition to 3(i) which is also a method rather than aim. Under 3(b) add the letter ‘s’ to the word ‘meeting’ 3(k) is interesting as it provides for a method of fund raising for the club. This could be acceptable but there are issues of accountability that arise, together with the added headache of how a society manages a Collective Investment Scheme or whether it should be done by a company. There is a deletion of the clause that gives the Club powers to undertake all other related services. I see no need for the deletion of this clause which would have been better than some of the added clauses that are mere methods rather than objects.
3	Membership	The current membership categories are life and ordinary. It has been proposed that the membership be divided into three, super, premium and standard. This is quite unnecessary. What should have been done is to increase the amounts payable under the current two types of membership. Life membership can be pegged at a figure of say Kshs. 30,000 whilst Ordinary could be put at a figure of say Kshs. 1,500. These are merely administrative amounts. The club isn’t selling anything for you to become a member. The members can be on equal footing and all have the right to attend and vote at the meetings of the Club. The club can raise the other funds separately such as the merchandise indicated under the ‘benefits’. A constitution is not a marketing document and therefore it is unnecessary to have benefits listed after each category. We have to avoid a scenario of having to amend the constitution frequently. Therefore any references top benefits should be deleted. Further the drafting leaves a lot to be desired. There is use of (i) and therefore making reference is difficult. Different characters should be used such as (A)(a)(I)(i) instead of repeating the (i). Standard Membership is used in one heading when it refers to Super membership. Some abbreviations have not been defined such as KPL. There is no need to refer to a particular league as the circumstances may change such as the league changing names (previously it was Kenya national Football League, Super League) or the fortunes of the club may change and we play in a lower tier. The rest of the document is untidy with references such as ‘shall pay Kshs. 5,000 (five thousand only) per year’ instead of the better sounding ‘shall pay an annual fee of Kenya Shillings Five Thousand (Kshs. 5,000)’. There is also no consistency on the amounts, such as having words followed by figures in brackets. For instance 4(c) on the payments to get the constitution talks about ‘Kenya shillings 100’ instead of ‘Kenya Shillings One Hundred (Kshs. 100)’ as it should be.
4	Membership Clause 4(b)	There could be some contradiction with 4(h) as it anticipates election of persons into office when they haven’t paid the fee requires to contest the elections.  Unless reference was made only to co-opted members.
	Membership Clause 4(d)	The reference to the secretary should be Secretary General for consistency.
	Membership Clause 4(e)	There is no need to depart from the provisions of the previous constitution at Clause 3(7) and (8)
5	Membership Clause 4(g)	Compare the old and the proposed Whilst the former talks about the possibility of cessation (use of the word ‘may’) the amendment wants to introduce mandatory cessation by using the word shall and the word ‘automatically’. Whilst they both may be talking about the same thing, it is important to note the tenor of the statements.
5	Membership Clause 4(h)	Whilst it makes sense to have persons seeking leadership positions pay some amount into the club, this should be part of the Electoral Code that can be attached to the document. In my view, the club should not be minting money from the contestants, Instead, the practice should have been top ask the persons contesting to provide a bank guarantee for a certain amount as they are in a leadership position that means they will owe the members a fiduciary duty which if breached should have some consequences. Again, this is one of those populist and not well thought out additions.
5	Membership Clause 4(i)	The Societies Act is very clear on the amendment of the Constitution of the club. It is not necessary to state a time frame for amendment. Any of the clauses of the constitution can be amended. By putting a limitation that the constitution should be amended after ten years can be reason to challenge it if it is amended after five years. This is undesirable and another not well thought out introduction to the constitution. The clause on amendment of the constitution should be enough.
5	Office Bearers Clause 5	This clause seeks to increase the term of office of the elected members to three years. The AGM is scheduled to be held in June of each year which would be mid season now that the country isn’t following the FIFA calendar of league matches being held from August to May. Whilst there is appreciation that an office needs to have a plan that it can implement, the proposed term of three years is very long. This should be reduced to a term of two years or maintained at the term of one year so that the performances of each office are keenly monitored and there is no being saddled with an ineffective office for too long. People who argue that there will be disruption of programmes should know that the reason such disruptions occur is where there is no proper handing over to the next office. Leopards has been operating like a village team where each person who comes into office starts his own website, his own logo and there is no proper handing over.  We should instill discipline and adherence to the constitution so that we do not have the sort of characters who want to stay in office for too long under the guise of being given time to implement their manifesto.
5	Duties of Office Bearers Clause 6	Curiously, the duties of the Chairman have been reduced to merely chairing meetings. The current constitution reads: The Chairman has the duty to ensure that the club is properly managed and carrying out its objects (or objectives). In the amendment, the duty to ensure the club is properly managed is deleted! For the duties of the Secretary General, the amendment removes the requirement for the decisions reached by the Chairman and Secretary General to be ratified at the next meeting of the Executive Committee! It is unclear why anyone on the Executive Committee would want to vote on such an amendment that takes away the power to confirm if the decision made is correct and justifiable and worth ratifying. With the club contemplating what is being called a Secretariat, it not clear if the Secretary General shall be keeping the minutes and records of the team at the Secretariat. If the Secretary is responsible for the official correspondence, should we therefore assume that any postings on the website that are currently done by the CEO as official communication shall cease and only those by the Secretary General shall be considered. It is apparent that even now, there are conflicts between the Secretary General and the CEO and this proposed constitution seeks to do nothing about it.
6	Executive Committee Clause 7	The proposed constitution seeks to increase the number of the executive Committee to fifteen made up of the 8 office bearers, 1 CEO, 3 committee members and another co-opted 3 members.
7	Secretariat Clause 8	The establishment of the Secretariat and the creation of the office CEO may create some friction. It is however a good idea for the club to have an office and the old constitution provides for the registered office of the club. Just because the previous regimes have failed to comply with the law does not mean that the constitution has to be amended. Some clauses such as 8(iv), which says, the CEO shall be answerable to the Executive Committee through the Chairman as a direct report does not make sense. There has been a suggestion by a fan on the Facebook Branch wall that instead of having a CEO, the club should just make a provision that the Office bearers may incorporate three members who are specialized and have some sill such as Marketing, Accounting and any other field so that they can make contributions to the Executive Committee during the meetings and they could be paid a stipend for that. Another suggestion is that the CEO office be established and there be a clear demarcation of duties between the CEO and the Secretary General to avoid frictions that have existed between the CEO and the Secretary General (Micah and Asembo or Richie and Bukachi). Surely, minimal standards such as advertising for the post and properly interviewing candidates for a post of CEO should be hard. The CEo can then run the club much as a Managing Director to whom a Board of Directors delegates its functions.
8	Branch Network Clause 9	Whilst the Societies Act allows the formation of branches, the way the branches are being introduced in the proposed constitution leaves a lot to be desired. There is nothing to gain by having a limit of country branches. The geographical branches do not augur well as the club may not be having support across the country for instance in parts of the country that support a rival team. Setting rules for the members of the branches also does not augur well as the branches should be allowed to have their own regulations or by laws. There is no need to have a set number of officials if the Branch cannot afford to have it. Attempting to control the branches through the constitution may send out the wrong message that the Executive Committee is more interested in affairs of the branches than that of the team. The branches should be treated as partners of the team rather than subjects. Clauses on finances seem to dominate the constitution provision on branches such as the percentages of sharing funds collected (instead of the profits that may be made). The rest of the Clauses need to be relooked to see the way the relationship of the branches can be addressed so that they bring in members of the club instead of obsessing with the control of the branches. The other way to look at it is to have a Schedule of By Laws for the Branches and the procedure on application for recognition. There are also some typos such as Clause 9(b)(ii) which misspells the word ‘minimum’ as ‘minimun’
10	Procedure at Meetings Clause 11(c)	For the election of the Office Bearers, the same can also adopt a separate Schedule that will have By Laws for the Electoral Code. This is where any requirements for a guarantee and other procedural requirements of candidates can be spelt out. As it is, the proposed constitution does not address this in detail.
10	Trustees Clause 12	This retains a clause that was in the previous constitution which was also always ignored. The persons who run the club should be aware that they can face criminal sanctions if they ignore provisions of the constitution. The Societies Act is very clear about this. The Electoral Code should therefore also make provision for the election of the Trustees. These Trustees should follow up on some of the properties of the club that have been wasted or which have not been duly registered in the name of the trustees of the Club or the Club itself.
10	Auditor Clause 13	The club has over the years disabused and ignored this clause. It is not enough to have a constitution but a constitution that is respected by office bearers. Members need to be sensitized on this so that they can look through the audited accounts and can keep the Executive Committee on its toes on the utilization of funds. The tendering procedures at the Club have to be above Board. The bus that we hire for players, the hotels that the players sleep in, the training ground that we use all have to be taken after proper procurement procedures so that there is no underhand deals.
11	Funds Clause 14	The sequence of payment is all wrong. The playing unit should take precedence over the secretariat in payment of salaries. However, the clause is reasonable pending the decision on the establishment of the secretariat. Theft of Club Funds that is implied under Clause 14(e) should be met with stern criminal action against any official who does not account for the funds. Any payment that a member makes to the club whether it is in buying of merchandise, or in buying a ticket or paying membership fees should be accounted for. Supporters groups should therefore be on watch so that any wastage is minimized. Sponsorship funds should also be properly accounted for.
11	Amendments Clause 15	It is not clear from the drafting whether the two thirds are the paid up members or the two thirds of the quorum present at the General Meeting. Recently, Leopards conducted registration of members where supposedly 20,000 members were registered. It is not clear if the current Executive Office has kept the Register of all this members. How the amendment of this proposed Constitution shall be conducted shall be crucial so as to avoid a case where any dissatisfied member who holds a membership card goes to court to challenge the amendment.
12	Transition	The clause is laudable so that once the constitution has passed, it does not automatically grant the current office a three year regime as a previous office had tried to do. This is why making amendments should be taken seriously as there could be another office that comes in and members have to know they will be in office for three years.
20	Repeal of Previous Constitution	It is again unnecessary to state that the constitution in place is namely Abaluhya Football Club since the club changed names and by so doing, the constitution had already been amended automatically to reflect the new name. Gazette No. 335 of 30th January 1981 at page 145 confirmed the change. There is therefore no more need to refer to Abaluhya Football Club. Once a certificate of change of name has been issued, there is no need to state that the constitution currently in place is named Abaluhya Football Club.

 

Our view is that the current constitution needs to be taken as it is and then amendments be proposed on each and every clause rather than a complete overhaul of the constitution. There are provisions that can be amended such as those of the figures mentioned as inflation and rising costs mean that the figures indicated in the old constitution cannot stand today. But for each proposed amendment, there should be reasons given so that people can understand the reasons for the amendments.