Ingwe Fan: Photos of the Year

There were over 100 photos that we wishes we would use on this blog. We wish to credit all those who took the pictures for the great efforts. Most of the photos have been gleaned from the internet and newspapers and no claim is made by this blog against the photos.

There was the photo of Laurent Tumba blowing kisses at the crowd...

There was the one of the Leopards fan expressing thanks for a Leopards win...

There was a Leopards fan dancing in Mombasa right on the streets...

There was Mike Baraza on a stretcher in a moment every heart stopped...

And Mike Baraza wheeling away after scoring against Gor Mahia...

There was Fanuel Andwati with his shoes on sale...

There was the new kid on the block Ssemi Aina who caused a stir at the club...

There was the great defection all in good humour...

There was Lenny EmCee in all his glory...

There was the splash of colour in the visit to Ole Polos...

There was belief on the stands...

There was the Leopards and Gor 'shemeji' cordial relations...

There was the Dream Team known as Mututho FC and then Leopards FB FC and then CLAWS FC

There was the big error on TV calling Richard the Gor consultant...

There was Sinpare releasing the hit song on Ingwe...

There was a passionometer with flywhisks...

There was receiving of a trophy by Imbalambala...

And there was giving out of a trophy by Jonas Nahimana..

And the posing with the English Premier League trophy by an unidentified fan...

There was celebrating of goals by Leopards as they scored a basketful of goals in the season...

There was something to smile about by Angulu as they paid a visit to Female Fan of the Year Hanii...

There was the photo of Leopards players and Gor players sandwiched on the wall...

There was the fashion parade at the stadium...

There was Archie Achillah having the biggest smile this side of the Sahara...

And even a K'ogalo Diva promoting the Ingwe Fan magazine, related to this blog...

But in the end, these were the top twenty images of 2011

20. The Leopards were stuttering as the season came up to the half way stage. What was needed was a miracle for the Leopards to salvage the situation. What we got was some mid season signings during the transfer window. Bagaye was missing but the signings brought the Leopards back from the grave in an act that was the greatest resurrection since Lazarus.

19. The Leopards love to feast and there was the moment when the fans displayed how hungry the team was for success as they helped themselves to a hearty feast. This photo became an internet sensation after some sly Gor Mahia fans parodied it.

18. Captain Muyoti is known for his very acrobatic jumps when he scores a goal and one of the eagerly awaited moments was seeing him score a goal this season. And it happened against Chemelil at the City Stadium when he powered home a thunderous corner kick and the next obvious thing was to look out for his celebration. Awesome!

17. The transfer season is usually the silly season! Officials talk to players and before they even leave the place of negotiations, you read about it on Twitter or on Facebook. Any player who is associated with Leopards becomes a sensation and so when the news came that Paul Were was in the Den, some thought that photographic evidence was necessary. Aaah.

16. The fans have always been accused of being hellbent on begging from officials and not wishing to play their part in helping the club to posterity. But this year, more than ever, the fans played a crucial part in the club affairs. One of which was to positively market the club. The Facebook Branch fans played against their Gor Mahia counterparts in the run up to the first Derby of the Year and won 3-1. This reaction from Fan of the Year Vincent Were was a sweet moment for leopards fans present.

15. You are the leading scorer at Leopards and your team is counting on you to bang in more goals. Of course that means that fate is about to conspire to throw up some lemons. Mike Baraza was in tip top form and scoring at will when he was involved in a car crash. Within minutes, the Leopards fans of the Nakuru Branch were at the hospital with him checking up on him. That is true brotherhood at Leopards.

14. If there is an AFC Leopards match, Leopards fans will get there using whatever locomotion. Mah Mahntix got there using a bicycle. Others used boats, motor bikes, planes or trains or buses... Here is a pick of the best

13. When the Leopards were on fire, Sofapaka suffered a 3-1 hiding as ample revenge for the 3-1 defeat they had inflicted on the Leopards. One fan thought the best way to show how fiery the leopards were was to light up a newspaper and the other Leopards followed. This picture captured best what happens when fans let let their emotions take control.

12. When Leopards fans lose, they feel depressed. Phannie seemed lost in thoughts as the match progressed and this served up to show the great depression that befell the leopards as they plummeted from being third on the log to the relegation zone. Hopefully, such scenes shall not be seen again!

11. In the first leg clash between Leopards and Gor, the key battle came down to Nicholas Muyoti and Edwin Lavatsa. Muyoti is an experienced leopard whilst Lavatsa is a recent school leaver. Both players were born in September but years apart. Lavatsa was born on 2nd September 1993 whilst Muyoti was born on 8th September 1978. Clearly one had greater pace than the other and it showed on that day.

10. Some you win, some you lose. After the 3-1 beating by Gor, Leopards avenged the defeat in a 3-0 reverse in the second leg. You only needed to look at Lijoodilson Arantez's fingers to know the score!

9. When you have a sponsor that stays close to the club and takes part in the activities of the club, you have a winner as a sponsor. Mumias Sugar has had a great first season as the sponsor of Leopards and even took time to attend the Kawangware Branch event that was attended by the Facebook Branch. Now this is the picture of a true partner of the club.

8. You are waiting to see the clash of the titans and then just before the kick off you see the Leopards fans unfurl a banner. What a sight! But it moved down so fast that one had to be quick to take the shot. Kudos to the persons who took this shot but even more importantly, kudos to the one who thought about this great idea. Blue and White we remain truly forever!

9. When fans travel, sometimes what you see in the foreground may be too good to mask what is in the back ground. So you have to look at each picture very keenly. This one showed a break as the fans took off from the buses to take a 'health break'. There is a trail of Leopards all going to susu! But all that is lost on the viewer as the happy Jehan Adisah takes the thoughts away from that.

8. Sometimes much noise is made about the 'auld enemy' Gor Mahia and how the fans of Gor do not get along with Leopards fans. But the truth is that these two teams are not enemies - they are rivals. Nothing illustrated this better than this picture taken that shows Diamond Okusimba with his Leopards jersey and scarf with a Gor fan who has his jersey and flag. We are one people and though our rivalry dates back to the 60s, we can always be cordial to each other!

7. Leopards fans don't only show love to the Gor fans, they also show love for each other. A picture that captures the fans at the stadium simply happy to be following the Leopards and each other can warm any cold heart was one of Samuel Eyinda and his Plus One.

6. You are costing to victory against your traditional arch rivals. That surely is a moment to savour if you are a fan. But wait a minute - even when you are a player, you can savour the moment. Patrick Matasi was an iconic figure in the later stages of the season for the Leopards as he kept clean sheet after clean sheet! So it was a pleasant shock to all when he took a moment to smile and wave at the fans during the return leg of the league clash against Gor Mahia. An epic moment for an epic player.

5. It is back to the fans again and this moment was captured at the City Stadium. The Leopards fans treat each game as if it is a home game and even travel to the away matches and out-do the home team with their antics. On this particular day, it was if this was rehearsed, yet the beauty of it all was that it was spontaneous! The fans are in 'adulation for club' which could refer to the clubs initials AFC.

4. When three Leopards fans passed away after the clash against Karuturi Sports, it was the saddest moment for many Leopards fans. Fans came together and contributed funds for their interment and during the funerals, one of the photos taken showed a white coffin with blue colours in true Leopards spirit. This wasnt goodbye Aineah (and Ben and Duncan). This was 'see you later'. You will always shine upon us in the blue and white skies above.

3. There is always song and dance at the Leopards matches. If you leave the stadium without hearing and learning one chant, you haven't had the complete Leopards experience. During the year, there would be sudden bursts of song and sometimes the keen camera would capture one person in full flight. Here is one such moment.

2. The Poznan made an appearance at the Leopards games and the fans turned their backs on the team. Of course, that wasn't literal. It was done once and became a feature to celebrate the goals. What a sight to behold and the televisions cameras always captured it after the Leopards goals. It was perhaps a message to the team - we have got your backs no matter what! What a moment to be a Leopard!