NAIROBI, Kenya, May 27 – The swimming pool area at the Nyayo National Stadium is set to be completed in the coming weeks, while the basketball court has also been earmarked for rehabilitation, Sports Kenya Director General Pius Metto has said.

While there has been joy and celebration with the completion of the main arena that will serve the football and athletics community, basketballers have been left with questions over the fate of the court.

READ ALSO: IN PICTURES: The New Look Nyayo National Stadium, 95pc Complete

Among the issues affecting the court is the roof which leaks when it rains heavily, often causing stoppage or at worse abandonment of matches.

“The swimming pool and basketball areas will take slightly more time than the main complex. The tender of the main complex was different from that of the basketball court and we are working to start refurbishment on a different contract,” Metto told Capital Sport.

However, for the swimming pool area, work looks on course and the facility might be opened as early as next month.

“We have completed the warm-up and baby pool areas and the renovation for the main pool is almost completed and they are doing the final touches. We will have officials from Public Works to review and see if the work has been done according to specification,” he stated.

Also part of phase two of the Nyayo refurbishment is the laying of a canopy all round the stadium. There has been a concern that the newly laid plastic seats might be destroyed by the sun as only the VIP area of the terrace is canopied.

“The canopy will come as a phase two of the refurbishment and Public Works has been instructed to do the drawings. When the drawings are done, we will submit to the Sports Fund for funding and as soon as we get the funding will tender for canopying of entire facility,” Metto said.

The main complex is set to be handed over to the Ministry of Sports by May 31. PS Joe Okudo has been a regular at the facility ensuring that the progress of work is going on well while CS Amina Mohamed was also present at the stadium on Tuesday.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, May 26 – With a hairline stress fracture on his heel, Elijah Manangoi missed the trip to Qatar to defend his 1500m world title, a crown that was aptly picked up by training partner Timothy Cheruiyot at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.

And now, partly thanks to the break occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, Manangoi, nicknamed ‘The Lion’, has had time to fully recover without missing any major competition and is raring to go in search of the elusive Olympic title.

“The Olympic medal is the only one I don’t have,” Manangoi says with his eyes shining in confident determination.

“I feel like this pandemic has given me a chance to recover well. I am now injury free and I have returned to training fully, like I have never been injured before. I was rushing to be back in time for the Doha Diamond League but at least now, the break has given me time to recover very well,” stated the Commonwealth Games champion.

“I think I have returned hungrier and I need to continue fighting. I am very serious in my training and the competitions I will take,” he added.

Manangoi had hoped to recover well to travel to Doha, but a week to the Championship, pulled out of the race where Cheruiyot went on to clinch the title after a successful season in the Diamond League.

“Last year was too tough for me especially noting I didn’t go to defend my title in Doha. But I was very happy when my brother Cheruiyot went and came back with the gold medal,” further added Manangoi.

He is already into his second week of training and on Tuesday hit the track for the first time, training with Cheruiyot and two other teammates from the Rongai Athletics Camp who will be part of the Maurie Plant Memorial Race on June 11.

This will be his first competition of the season, but his campaign will begin proper on August 4 at the Monaco Diamond League.

But even as he prepares for the make-up season, Manangoi has reiterated his focus is on Tokyo 2021 and an assault at the Olympic Gold, having come so close but failed due to injury in Doha 2016.

“This is my first journey towards the Olympics which is my big focus. The Diamond League is not so crucial in terms of winning, but I want to participate to get confidence to build up towards Tokyo,” he stated.

Manangoi has spent a huge chunk of his recovery time especially during the COVID-19 pandemic with family back at his Narok home, while also fanning his farming hobby, tending to his wheat farms.

“I have continued to train even while I am at home, taking morning runs and doing some physio in the house as well. Going back to the track feels great and we have literally hit the ground running,” he further stated.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, May 28 – Football Kenya Federation (FKF) boss Nick Mwendwa breathed a sigh of relief, after the Sports Disputes Tribunal on Thursday ruled that he legally remains in office, throwing out charges of contempt of court levelled against him.

This was as the Tribunal called for a round table virtual meeting between all parties on June 2 to discuss the roadmap to elections to ensure that a legally elected office runs the Federation.

Sports Journalist Milton Nyakundi and other interested parties had gone to the Tribunal claiming Mwendwa continued to discharge duties as the Federation boss, stating that his term had come to an end and was not legally in office.

However, Ohaga on Thursday ruled that Mwendwa is legally in office and will remain so until after the elections.

“The Tribunal at paragraph 123 of its decision of 17th March 2020, recognized that Article 43(2) of the FKF Constitution 2017 provided that the President of the Federation stays in office until the next president is elected into office,” Ohaga’s ruling reads in part.

It adds; “It becomes clear, therefore, that the President of the Federation cannot be impeached or accused of contempt in relation to acts or activities undertaken in the ordinary course of carrying out duties and responsibilities which are attendant to this position.”

“This include being the spokesman and legal representative of the Federation as well as supervising the work of the secretariat and the relations between FKF and its members and other organizations,” it further stated.

Nyakundi’s team had also called for the Federations bank accounts to be frozen and its assets seized, claiming that the out-of-office Federation could swindle money and destroy assets.

In his ruling on March 17, Ohaga had asked for FIFA to intervene and form a caretaker committee to run Kenyan football with the elections quashed for a second time.

FIFA turned down the request and instead said they will initiate talks between the Federation, Government and Tribunal to find a solution to the debacle.

At the same time, Ohaga stated that the National Executive Committee (NEC) is not in contempt of court as the petitioners had failed to substantiate how they had continued to discharge duties despite the March 17 ruling.

Nyakundi and the interested parties had also asked the Tribunal to as the Cabinet Secretary for Sports Amina Mohamed to invoke Article 54 of the Sports Act 2013 to appoint a caretaker committee to run the Federation.

However, the Tribunal stated that it was not interested in taking that route.

Meanwhile, FKF Secretary General Barry Otieno risks a seven-year jail term for perjury if the Tribunal ascertains that a letter allegedly authored by him to FIFA to protect the Federation from the Tribunal is found authentic.

Nyakundi and his team had claimed Otieno wrote the letter to FIFA’s Chief Member Associations Officer Veron Mosengo-Omba and the Tribunal says if indeed it’s true, then that would be undermining the Tribunal.

“The Panel directs the Secretary to the Tribunal to take appropriate steps to bring this contested letter of 18th March 2020 addressed to FIFA to the attention of the appropriate authorities and to request that a full investigation be conducted into its authenticity and authorship or otherwise, so that necessary further steps can be taken depending on the outcome of the investigations,” stated Ohaga.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, May 25 – David Rudisha’s journey towards a historic third 800m Olympic crown suffered a speed bump after undergoing ankle surgery, a new development that will keep him out of action for at least three months.

The world record holder twisted his ankle after stepping on uneven ground at his rural home in Trans Mara, Narok County and he initially thought it was just a minor sprain and continued with his training.

“During a walk on the compound the 31-year-old stepped on uneven ground, and initially believed it was not a serious injury. He continued with exercises that wouldn’t cause further harm to his ankle but after a lack of improvement over the weekend, he underwent an examination and was diagnosed with an ankle fracture at St. Luke’s hospital in Eldoret,” a statement from his manager Michael Boeting said.

Rudisha had stepped up his training as he looked to vie for a place in Kenya’s team for the Tokyo Olympics which have now been postponed to next year, but the latest injury will surely slow down that journey.

The surgery was conducted by Athletics Kenya accredited team doctor and orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Victor Bargoria who said Rudisha suffered a fracture on his left ankle which he has had to fixate a plate on.

With the recovery set between 12-16 weeks, it means Rudisha will be out until at least mid-September before he begins rehabilitation. For a return to full training, that might go all the way to December or January.

With the Olympics scheduled for July, Rudisha will literally have to race against time to be fit in time for the Team Kenya Trials and having not competed since 2017, this might prove to be a mountainous ask, even for a strong-willed athlete of Rudisha’s calibre.

Speaking to Capital Sports earlier in the year, Rudisha had not hidden his desire to return to the quadrennial games and sign out in style with gold number three.

“I am expecting to return next season and I am preparing for that. My main target is the Olympics. For me, health comes first and all this time I have been monitoring and taking care of my injury. Now it is almost out of the way now planning on a comeback until beginning of next season,” Rudisha said in a previous interview with Capital Sports.

Also, he admitted to have gained a few excess pounds of weight and was working to get leaner and work on his speedwork on the track before launching his comeback in the Diamond League.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, May 29 – Harambee Stars left-back Erick ‘Marcelo’ Ouma will be out for a minimum of six weeks after suffering a fracture in training with his Swedish club AIK on Friday morning.

The defender is set to undergo surgery on Saturday.

Ouma’s AIK were into the second month of full training as they geared up for the start of the Swedish top tier, and Ouma was looking forward to his first top flight match after joining the side from third tier club Vassalund.

“It’s a setback but I believe I will be back stronger. I had really looked forward to getting my season started at AIK. This is not a heart-breaking moment for me but a moment to build my mental strength,” Ouma told Capital Sport from his Stockholm base.

He added; “I am looking forward to the recovery period and rehabilitation. Hopefully I’ll be back on the pitch soon. I had built up very well in pre-season but now it’s time to face another challenge that is inevitable for us as sportsmen.”

The strong-willed Ouma had joined AIK after an impressive two seasons with Vasalund and his explosive performances at left-back for both club and country earned him a contract with the high flying top flight side.

In a previous interview with Capital Sport, Marcelo had expressed his excitement getting back to the pitch after the stoppage occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sweden was among the first European countries to get back to full training after world football was brought to a halt by the virus.

Despite the set-back, Ouma states his determination and dreams with AIK will not be shattered and he will work on them upon return.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, May 29 – The Ministry of Sports through the Sports Fund has continued to release funds to cushion sportsmen struggling during the current COVID1-9 pandemic, and Paralympians are next in line to receive their share.

Just like Kenyan Premier League players from 12 clubs who each received Sh10,000 for two months, a list of 231 Paralympians has been finalized by the Ministry and they are set to receive the same amount.

This is part of a further Sh20mn budget approved to the Ministry from the Sports Fund.

Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said she was working on five different drafted lists of sportsmen who will be assisted during this period. She has also noted that more national teams will come under consideration.

“We are also releasing the same amount of money to our most vulnerable National Team athletes in all our active Sports Federations for the same period of time. This is to enable them continue training for upcoming global events,” CS Amina told Capital Sports.

“All our national teams in all our active federations which were active in the current financial year are part of our program; those that were preparing for Olympics or any other international events across the globe,” she noted.

Adding; “We decided to give something small to every athlete in need. We thank all the federations for the continued corporation in identification and verification of data of these athletes.”

So far, the Sports Fund has released Sh50mn to the Ministry and CS Amina further said they will continue assessing the situation so as to cushion athletes who have entirely lost their income.

More sports disciplines are also set to benefit from the program, the priority being national teams.

“This exercise is going to continue over the weekend. The second installment will be smoother because we will have captured all the telephone numbers  in our system,” CS Amina promised.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, May 31 – Women In Motorsport (WIM) – Kenya has announced elaborate plans geared towards empowering more females savor equal opportunities to compete at the highest level of the sport.

The unprecedented move is part of a five-year strategic envisaged to grow young budding talent at the grassroots level.

WIM-Kenya Vice-Chairperson Tuta Mionki while making the announcement noted that the noble initiative is a deliberate move aimed at creating an enabling environment for women racers, more so the underprivileged ones in various parts of the country.

“WIM-Kenya had identified a home in Nairobi and another in Narok for mentoring and we were in the process of getting to involve them in karting before the COVID 19 issues cropped up,” Tuta said.

The essence, she added, is to help young girls realize their potential by venturing into various disciplines of motorsports hitherto perceived a “male-dominated world”.

Tuta also noted that their campaign seeks to demystify the notion that ‘motorsport is only a preserve of the privileged”.

“Motorsport has been perceived to be only for a certain group, which is not the case. You can actually participate in the sport in many facets and still be part and parcel of the adrenaline, joy, and growth of the sport. We also want to demystify the notions that motorsport is only for men,” Tuta who deputizes Helen Shiri “Hedgal” at WIM-Kenya went on.

She believes that the project will not only unlock women’s fervor in the sport but definitely mentor the young-budding girl-child from sprawling slum areas across the country.

“The girls will be handed the rare opportunity to taste the intensity and adrenaline which characterizes the sport through go-karting.

Tuta went on: “It’s been a bit challenging for women in motorsport in the country. We have seen the numbers drastically going down, and generally in the sport, due to funding. Currently, we have about six all-women crew without funding, with their rally cars just sitting in their backyards.”

“One of the things we did was to first understand why women aren’t getting sponsorship to rally and see how best to repackage our game. We looked into ways and means through which to have women grow into karting drivers. We also explored the possibilities of women running training rallies which is the only way we can show aspiring women that it’s not only a sport for men,” she further pointed out.

Go-karting has produced some of the country’s best drivers including current KNRC and Safari Champion Baldev Chager and Tejas Hirani who went on to participate in the FIA RX Lites Championship.

Among Kenyan all-women teams currently on sabbatical due to lack of funding include the Rally Chicks, Warembo Bila Mekap, Divas On Wheels of Carol Gatimu, and Kui Mungai, Amira Hedgals of Helen Shiri and Haraka Mamas of Joan Nesbitt and Tamara Jones.

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NAIROBI, June 1 – Harambee Stars midfielder Francis Kahata has linked up with his employers Simba SC ahead of the Tanzanian Premier League kick off this month, with the Wekundu wa Msimbazi set to re-start their action against Ruvu Shooting on June 14.

Tanzania President John Magufuli allowed all sports including football to resume action this month and teams have already commenced training with the league fixtures now released.

Kahata had been in the country since football in Tanzania was halted early March and had been training on his own.

There had been fear that the midfielder might miss the restart of the league due to the travel restrictions imposed in Kenya, but according to sources, Simba managed to get permission to get the midfielder back to Dar.

In a previous interview, Kahata had said he was open to returning to Tanzania as long as he was assured of his safety due to the COVID-19 situation currently ravaging the world.

Simba are leading the standings with 71 points, 17 ahead of second placed Azam FC with 10 rounds of matches left. They just need to win at least five of the remaining 10 matches to confirm their status as champions.

After playing Ruvu in Dar, Simba will play Mwadui before travelling to Mbeya City for their final match in the month of June. They will then face three consecutive away matches in July, playing Prisons, Ndanda and Namungo before they play Ndanda in Dar and might be champions already by then.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 1 – Former Kenya Sevens boss Benjamin Ayimba has been named the Kenya Rugby League Technical Director with immediate effect.

The 43-year old who led Kenya Sevens to their first and only Main Cup triumph at the World Rugby Sevens Series in Singapore, 2016 will be responsible for developing the Kenya Rugby League technical structures in all levels from grass root, community and club rugby.

This will also include formulation of high-performance plan for players, coaches, referee and affiliate clubs.

“After a long walk in what seemed like ages, we are now able to play a spot that suits the Kenya rugby footballer and give us a real chance at the World Cup,” Ayimba stated upon his appointment.

Kenya Rugby League Federation Chairman Nyakwaka added; “Aacceptance of Ayimba as the Technical Director is a big motivation and a big asset for rugby league owing to his achievement in the sport. We are confident he will establish effective technical structures for clubs and partners.”

The Kenya Rugby League is strengthening its coaching and technical units, in readiness for its league kick- off and maiden international Test match, later in the year.

Just recently, the KRL announced that former international Edward Rombo will be the new national team head coach.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 1 – At the start of the 2017 season, Joash Onyango arrived at Gor Mahia with a high pedigree, or so he thought, after skippering Western Stima to a successful campaign and being one of the core-figures for the Kisumu based side.

But what he thought was a career-up move didn’t exactly start in the way he had anticipated.

He found a solid pairing at Gor, club captain Musa Mohammed having gelled in superbly with Harun Shakava and their partnership not easily breakable. His playing time, a massive contrast to his time at Stima, dramatically went south.

He played at most, maybe five matches.

“There was a time I was really frustrated. I wondered, when will I ever play? But I knew at the back of my mind it was very difficult to break that solid partnership. I kept asking myself whether I had really made the right decision to join Gor. At some point, I even thought of moving to another team because I really wanted to play. Previously with Stima, I played all matches. It was a very tough time,” Onyango disclosed to Capital Sport.

-What did I do to myself?-

He adds; “At times I never even made the final list of 18 players and that bothered me a lot. You know, you expect to get at least a few minutes but they don’t come. So I thought, ‘What did I do to myself’?”

But, former Gor assistant Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno proved pivotal in Onyango remaining at Gor. He encouraged the defender to stay put at K’Ogalo, work hard and wait for his time.

That is exactly what he did and in 2018, his chance came when Mohammed left Gor for Albania to join KF Tirana.

“Still at that time, there were so many defenders in the team and I knew it was going to be tough to get a place in the team. I had worked hard in the previous season but I still knew I had to keep working hard and in pre-season, I worked harder to impress the coaches,” recalls Onyango.

His performances at the back for the record 19-time league champions made him a darling of the K’Ogalo faithful and earned him the nickname ‘The Berlin Wall’ as he solidified the backline with superb precision

His hard work, persistence and patience finally bore fruit. He got the chance, grabbed it with both hands and not only went on to be a starter for the club, but the national team as well.

His decision to stick with Gor despite playing scarcely in his first season proved to be the right one as he went on to pick experiences that have improved him as a player and a person.

-Patience pays-

“Looking back now, I can say patience pays. I have worked hard to be where I am and I can say my career has taken the shape I thought it would,” the 27-year old, born and raised in Eldoret further states.

Playing in the SportPesa Super Cup and winning it twice in a row was a particular high moment.

“The first one in 2017 in Tanzania, we played and won. We had almost a second-string side because most of the first team players were away on national team duty and finally some of us found a chance to play. Unfortunately I did not play in the friendly against Everton in Dar es Salaam,” narrates Onyango.

“We did a double in 2018 when we won it in Nakuru and we got a chance to travel to Everton. It was a big deal for most of us who had not been out of the continent before. We always watched the English Premier League with admiration and when we heard the winner would travel to Everton, we had to give our all,” the tough tackling defender stated.

He says he picked massive lessons from the trip to Everton and evaluated himself further as a player, pointing out he has hugely improved since that time.

“I wanted to look at myself and know what kind of a defender I am. Not just playing in the local league here and thinking you are the best. To measure yourself against some top players was a huge thing for me and it made me realize there was a lot I needed to work on,” he states.

-National team chance-

And in the national team was where he really stepped up and put himself up in the kings’ parade.

After playing in one friendly match, Onyango was tossed into the deep end, playing as a starter in the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Ghana in Nairobi, a match that Stars won 1-0 to more or less earn themselves a slot at the Cup of Nations.

“To be honest, when I was called into camp, I didn’t think I would play. There were far much more experienced players ahead of me. Unfortunately Mandela (Brian) was injured and then again Calabar 9David Owino) was also injured in training and was not available,” he narrates.

“So at the centre of defense there was Cheche (David Ochieng, Musa, Crouch (Joseph Okumu) and myself. In training, the coach was rotating Cheche, Musa and myself and he told us he didn’t know who was going to start.”

“During the pre-match meeting, my name was called out and I was told I would start alongside Musa. I was delighted to be honest. Not afraid. There were players like Atsu (Christian) in the Ghana side and getting to face them was a mouth-watering challenge to me,” he further notes.

Onyango went on to play that match with brilliant calmness, until he was red carded early in the second half.

“To be honest looking back at that situation now, I don’t regret the red card. The player was going through on goal and we never know what might have happened if he passed me. At that time though, I was a little bit worried. It was still so early, and this is Ghana; a powerhouse in the continent. But I thank my teammates because they saw the game through,” looking back with nostalgia, Onyango adds.

-Missing AFCON-

Though he was suspended for the next two games, Onyango had assured himself as a stalwart in former coach Sebastien Migne’s team and was one of the assured names on the starting team when they eventually qualified for the Cup of Nations.

“I thank him a lot because he trusted in me and gave me that opportunity. That was a huge boost for me,” Joash said of Migne.

When Mandela picked up an injury in training, it was now almost assured that he would partner Musa Mohamed at the heart of defense as they were the two most trusted lieutenants in Migne’s army.

But, calamity struck.

“In the last five minutes of the final training session before our first game against Algeria I picked up an injury. I was devastated. I had worked so hard to be there but just as the chance came my way, I couldn’t grab it. I tried to ice the injury to reduce the sweeling and pain to see if I would make the Tanzania game but I couldn’t,” he remembers.

“I was so sad just sitting there on the bench and watching, but helpless. I was heartbroken. But missing that opportunity has given me some renewed hunger to work hard, get into the team again and see if we can qualify to the 2021 edition, something I believe we can,” says Onyango, currently the assistant captain at Gor.

-Seeking new, bigger challenge-

Having already won three league titles at Gor and helped them reach the quarter finals of the CAF Confederations Cup, Onyango feels it might be the time to leave and seek a bigger and better challenge, with his contract ending in December this year.

“Gor is a huge team and I have enjoyed every moment here. We have won the league in every season since I came in and that is no small achievement. I feel that maybe this is the time for me to look into a bigger challenge outside the country,” Onyango, who idolizes Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos and Juventus hard man Giorgio Chiellini states.

With the league called off due to COVID-19, Onyango’s plans might have suffered a hit, but remains hopeful that the league will resume in August and he will use the remaining months to improve his profile and seek a bigger suitor.

“There have been ups and downs but I can say it has been a great time. Gor has lifted me to where I am today and I am truly thankful to have been signed up here,” he adds.

Joash Onyango at a glance:

Birth place: Eldoret

High School: Shamberere High School, Kakamega

Previous teams: West Kenya Sugar (2010, June 2011-2013), Chemelil Sugar (2011), Western Stima (2014-2017)

Awards: Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) 2019 footballer of the year

Career High:

Winning against Zamalek at home. “Zamalek is one of the best teams in the continent and beating them 4-2 is no mean feat. We played against very good strikers and being able to keep them at bay to me was a massive high for me.”

Lowest moment: Losing to Rayon Sport in a Confederations Cup decider.

“We just needed to avoid defeat in that game to qualify for the quarter finals and we ended up losing at home which was something very painful. We had a very good team in that year and I had the feeling that if we progressed, we could have gone all the way to the final.”

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 2 – The fresh Football Kenya Federation (FKF) elections will be conducted from bottom up, with the earlier grassroot polls conducted in March nullified, Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) chairman John Ohaga has clarified.

Speaking on Tuesday afternoon during a stakeholders’ meeting to chart the way forward for the new elections, Ohaga said FKF conducted the grassroot pools before a case before the Tribunal was heard and determined.

“FKF would not have held elections before the Tribunal expressed itself on the issues brought to it. Therefore, the Tribunal’s view is very clear; until the Tribunal delivered a decision there could be no election. The Federation itself came before the Tribunal to interpret rules of elections and how could they go ahead with the polls while waiting for the interpretation?” posed Ohaga.

FKF held the grassroot polls on March 14, three days before the Tribunal delivered its ruling on the election rules, where it ticked all the boxes save for the eligibility rule which Ohaga said contravened Article 59 of the Kenyan constitution.

“Elections must commence on the basis of the Tribunal’s recommendations on the top down. Otherwise it would be an absurdity to say the grassroot elections took place while the Federation was seeking clarity on how to hold those elections. Validating those elections and waiting for the national elections would effectively mean there was a narrow construction of the Tribunal’s view,” he added.

Mwendwa did not attend the Tribunal meeting on Tuesday, having earlier written to the Ohaga-led team stating that he saw no need of attending, while Ohaga last week ruled that he was legally in office until the elections were held.

“That is alright and the tribunal has no difficulty in that. As far as elections are concerned, he (Mwendwa) is merely a potential candidate and he can avail himself or decline from the forum. We will try to the best of our abilities to try and get a feel of what the football stakeholders feel should be the way forward,” Ohaga said.

His absence drew the ire of some of those in attendance, some saying he had disrespected the Tribunal and stakeholders as well.

“His (Mwendwa) absence doesn’t augur well with this process because he is the same person who came to the tribunal,” former FKF boss Sam Nyamweya who has also expressed interests to unseat Mwendwa said.

Among others who were in attendance include Twaha Mubarak, Elly Mukolwe, Moses Adagala, Sammy Sholei, KEFWA Secretary General Jerry Santo, Kariobangi Sharks chair Robert Maoha, Zoo’s Ken Ochieng, KPL CEO Jaco Oguda and Osendo Omore who came in representing presidential aspirant Herbart Mwachiro.

“We can either sit and wait for FIFA to bring a solution but we can as well sit here and find a solution. The game belongs to us. That is the objective of this exercise,” Ohaga further stated.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 2 – The Ministry of Sports has set up a team led by Principal Secretary Joe Okudo to prepare for resumption of sports activities in the country once the COVID-19 situation is dealt with, Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed has stated.

Sports activities were halted in the country in March with all public facilities closed as the country battled to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

With European countries and a section of African nations slowly starting to open up their spaces for resumption of sports though under strict guidelines, Kenya has not been left behind with the Ministry constituting a machinery.

“We have constituted a team to look at it and they will be advising on when to open. The team is led by the PS and of course working closely with the Ministry of Health so that we ensure when we return we do so within safe parameters,” CS Amina said on Tuesday.

While all football league seasons have been cancelled, there is hope for some other sports. In rugby, the Kenya Cup was headed to the play-off stage and despite an earlier decision by the Union to cancel the season, clubs appealed and the decision was lifted.

The men and women hockey leagues were just getting started while the basketball league had been scheduled to start in April. In Athletics, the track season had just gunned off and last week, Athletics Kenya said they would be consulting with the government to set up a new calendar.

Kenya is set to host its first event since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic on June 11 when five athletes, anchored by 1500m World Champion Timothy Cheruiyot will compete against the Norwegian Ingebrigtsen brothers in a virtual race.

The Norwegian contingent will run in Oslo while Cheruiyot’s team will run at the Nyayo National Stadium where they have been training for the past one week.

Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa and Tunisia are among the first African countries to announce plans to resume sports with the COVID-19 situation slowly losing pace.

Amina spoke at the Nyayo National Stadium as she helped distribute food packages to women athletes from football, cricket, rugby and the Paralympics in partnership with Care Package foundation, run by former Cricket Kenya chief Jackie Jan Mohammed.

“It relieves some of the challenges they were facing of trying to meet some basic needs and we have got some good response with people coming on board. We would like to reach about 1,800 who are most vulnerable and so far we have reached almost 1,000,” said CS Amina.

Meanwhile, Jan Mohamed said they hoped to be doing the exercise every two weeks depending on whether they get increased funding from their partners.

“When the ministry approached us about athletes, I couldn’t say no. Sports is a passion I have had for a long time. What I am looking at is, depending on funding, we might turn around and tell the ministry that every two weeks, we will meet these same athletes, until we fight COVID-19,” she stated.

At the same time, Amina says they will continue with distribution of the monthly stimulus package to sportspeople, having started off last week with the Kenyan premier League players.

Amina says that so far, 1,300 athletes have received their first share of the 10,000 stimulus with 600 more having benefited over the weekend.

“We have received very good feedback and we want to thank the President for launching this package,” Mohamed noted.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 3 – The war between the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and the Sports Disputes Tribunal has scaled up, with FKF boss Nick Mwendwa asking the Tribunal chair John Ohaga to steer off its issues and focus on his work.

A furious Mwendwa on Wednesday said that the Sports Dispute Tribunal (SDT) had no role in calling for a stakeholders’ meeting as it’s work ended immediately they gave directions and ruling on the FKF polls, and after FIFA rejected their call to have a caretaker committee running football.

Ohaga chaired a stakeholders’ meeting via Zoom on Tuesday, but Mwendwa and his team refused to attend.

“I want to ask John Ohaga to stay away and steer clear of football election matters. The work of the court is to decide cases. I have never seen a judge going to the media and explaining his decisions. He is now calling people for a stakeholders meeting. He made a decision and we walked away to implement,” a furious Mwendwa stated.

He added; “If he wants to be a candidate in the elections he should offer himself. This behavior from the Tribunal has to stop, We don’t have faith in that tribunal anymore and we can’t be in litigation forever. I am asking chair of tribunal to stop interfering with football matters. When matters are taken to his door let him decide them once he decides let him keep off he is not ember of football and hence cannot host a forum.”

On Tuesday, while addressing the stakeholders meeting that was attended by among others former FKF chief Sam Nyamweya, Ohaga said he had no problem with Mwendwa missing the meeting and said he was at liberty to do so.

The FKF boss has now gone on to state that Ohaga is overstepping his mandate by continuing to make pronouncements and calling for meetings even when his decisions have already been issued.

“FKF has its own constitution as well as rules and regulations which govern us and that is what guides us in what to do. Has a Tribunal become a consultant for FKF elections? I have never seen something like that.”

“John Ohaga’s tribunal has continued to interfere with football elections and I think that the Tribunal might have an interest that they have not stated. Ohaga has continued to invite people to make applications. I have never seen a court inviting people to bring cases,” Mwendwa further asserted.

He went on to state that they will not honor any of the stakeholder meetings called by the Tribunal but will instead wait on directives from FIFA over the stalled polls which have twice been cancelled by Ohaga’s court.

“We twice respected the Tribunal’s decision to cancel our elections and in good faith. Now, they have offered directions and we will stand by them. FIFA said they will have a meeting after the current COVID-19 situation is dealt with and they will come to Kenya and deal with this issue,” Mwendwa said.

“We shall receive directives from FIFA and we will conclude elections. Anyone who has interest should wait for FIFA directives to come and take part in the elections,” he further noted.

Mwendwa has also categorically stated that the FKF branch elections done in March remain legitimate, differing with the Tribunal that those elections also remain nullified.

The Tribunal stopped the elections from going on on March 17, just three days after FKF had conducted branch elections.

“According to the ruling he (Ohaga) gave, nowhere does the Tribunal cancel the branch elections,” he stated.

With FKF’s hardline stance on negotiating with the Tribunal over anything, Kenyan football will now only wait for FIFA to give directives on how the polls will be conducted with Ohaga last week saying that Mwendwa and his Secretary General Barry Otieno will remain in office until after the polls.

The elections were cancelled for the first time last year with among issues raised including the composition of the board as well as the election guidelines set up, the Tribunal ruling that there was no public participation.

FKF went through all branches streamlining all needs of the Tribunal, with the new set of rules as well as a new board okayed by a Special General Meeting. However, Ohaga’s Tribunal cancelled the election for a second time, pointing out the eligibility rules were unfair.

But, Mwendwa has insisted those were the same rules that were used in the 2016 elections when he rose to power, the only addition being the requirement of any candidate to have been in football for at least three years.

The post Ohaga is overstepping his mandate, says furious FKF boss Mwendwa appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 3 –Retired Team Kenya athletes are set to benefit from a food programme courtesy of the National Olympic Committee Kenya (NOC-K) in conjunction with the Kenya National Sports Council and Kenya National Paralympic Committee.

The program has been launched with a seed capital of Sh500,000 to aid them in the wake of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We know the pandemic has affected our athletes greatly and most of them have been inactive for three months. We want to give food support to the athletes for the sake of their mental wellness and physical health. After consultation, we felt food aid will be of greater assistance as we continue looking for other partners in this initiative,” said Francis Mutuku, the acting NOCK Secretary General.

He went on to state that they have decided to use the base capital on food because it’s the most crucial area, adding that they will launch a PayBill number next week to enable members of the public willing to donate to the kitty do so.

“According to our survey, the athletes cited finance, food, wellness and fitness as their areas of concern and as we appeal for more support, it’s all systems go. The government has already dealt with the financial bit and we hope to continue this initiative as long as possible,” Mutuku stated.

Meanwhile, National Sports Council treasurer Charles Nyaberi lauded NOC-K for setting the ball rolling with the latest initiative as they seek to cushion sports people of all cadres from the effects of coronavirus. 

At the same time, NOC-K is in the process of creating a database of all national level athletes, which will be extended later to include retired athletes. 

According to Mutuku, such information will be key in enabling them profile and effectively find ways of addressing their needs.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 3 – World and reigning Diamond Trophy 1500m champion Timothy Cheruiyot is bullish ahead of the ‘Kenya vs Norway’ Maurie Plant Memorial Race, a 2,000m virtual clash set for June 11.

While ‘Team Cheruiyiot’ will race in punishing altitude at the Nyayo National Stadium, ‘Team Ingebrigtsen’ made up of brothers Henrik, Jakob and Filip will race in low altitude Oslo, giving them a slight edge.

“I think they will stand at an advantage compared to us because the altitude definitely has a huge role to play in this kind of a race. Also, they have been training longer than us and are therefore fitter. We just recently started training on the track and for them, they have been doing that for a while,” Cheruiyot stated.

He added; “But we are ready for them to be honest. I am never afraid of a tough challenge and this is one for me. We have trained well with my team and picked up some good momentum since we started last week.”

Cheruiyot’s team will also have former world champion and reigning Commonwealth title holder Elijah Manangoi who is now fully fit from injury as well as 800m athlete Edwin Meli.

Vincent Yator and Timothy Sein will be the team’s pace setters.

“I think we have a very good team and everyone is fit. Elijah is a great person and friend and a brilliant athlete. Meli as well is a good competitor and of all of us, he is the fittest since when we went to the village, he remained behind training and is in very good form. We will be ready to compete,” Cheruiyot noted.

He says he has been working on his speed to ensure he can challenge for a good time in the race.

“When I was in the village I did quite well with long runs so my endurance is okay. Now I am just polishing up on the speed-work but I think I am in a good place. I have gained some very good progress,” said Cheruiyot.

He believes the race will give him a good head-start into the season and winning will be an extra topping on the cake after a tough three months where the COVID-19 situation has halted sports all over the world.

“It will be a very tough season because the program has not flowed well from when we started training in December. We had expectations and now the calendar has changed. We will need to adjust. We just pray that the pandemic finishes soon and we get back to competing,” Cheruiyot states.

He hopes to start his season at the Monaco leg of the new calendar released for the Diamond League while his main target remains vying for the Olympic title, an ambition also shared by his training partner Manangoi.

Meanwhile, Cheruiyot says the healthy competition between the two of them straight from the training ground has been beneficial as it has made each better, but is quick to underscore they celebrate each other’s victory because it comes down to the team.

“Manangoi is like my brother and my best friend as well. We train very well together and when we are in the club when anyone wins we are always thankful. Competition is very nice because even in training, the level goes up because everyone wants to win,” stated Cheruiyot.

The post Bring on the Ingebrigtsens, bullish Cheruiyot says ahead of virtual clash appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 4 – The National Assembly Committee on Sports says it is pleased with the work put in at the new look Nyayo National Stadium, but is concerned with the maintenance and the destruction threat posed by hooliganism.

The committee led by Machakos Town Member of Parliament Victor Munyaka visited the facility on an inspection tour on Thursday where they were briefed on the progress by Sports Kenya Director General Pius Metto and chairman Fred Muteti.

ALSO READ: IN PICTURES: The New Look Nyayo National Stadium, 95pc Complete

“The committee is pleased by the progress of the work at Nyayo National Stadium and we have been assured that in the next one week, the contractor will be able to handover the keys and it will be ready to use as soon as the issues of COVID-19 are finished,” Munyaka said.

He however added; “One key thing and this committee has discussed is that for this good investment to be protected we need investment on crowd control and security within the stadia and its environs so that we don’t have hooligans coming in to destroy the property.”

The threat of the plastic seats all round the stadium as well as the glass exterior at the Main VIP entrance have been touted as possible target by hooligans, same challenge the Moi Sports Centre Kasarani has faced.

ALSO READ: You Will Be Jailed, Sports PS Warns Hooligans As Nyayo Takes Shape

Meanwhile, Webuye East MP Dan Wanyama, a former national volleyball team captain has also called on Sports Kenya to contract a private firm to work on the facility’s maintenance, saying they will do a better job.

Nyayo has been closed since 2017 for renovations and when Capital Sports visited the stadium last week, Sports Kenya assured it will be finalized by the end of May.

The contractor team is currently working on the landscaping as well as the drainage with a huge section of the stadium already done. Changing rooms and VIP areas are all done while all seats have been finally laid out.

Meanwhile, Muteti has thanked the committee for pushing their financial agenda to ensure that the project is fully funded.

“When we started the challenge was budget but the committee assured they would support us and we have seen a lot of support which has enabled us to complete Nyayo and we are also in the process of finalizing Kasarani for the World Athletics events,” Muteti stated.

After Nyayo, the Committee also visited Kasarani and inspected the renovation works ongoing.

Also, Muteti has stated that the process of replacing the tartan track will be done in the next financial circle, pointing out they will only repair the work out sections of the current track and clean it up.

There was hope that the track will be replaced in time for the Continental Tour with Nyayo looked at as an alternative to Kasarani.

At the same time, the committee states it will continue inspecting works at other stadia across the country before they present their report to the Speaker of the National Assembly.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 4 – Even before a case at the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) over Football Kenya Federation’s (FKF) decision to end the season is heard and determined, the Kenya Premier League (KPL) management will convene a Governing Council meeting next week to draw out a plan for football resumption.

Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed earlier this week stated that the Ministry has put up a team to look at possibilities of resuming sports in the country and it will be headed by Principal Secretary Joe Okudo.

But, their recommendations will only be based on directives from the Ministry of Health over the safety of resuming sports activities and public gatherings.

KPL went to the Tribunal after FKF’s decision to call an end to the season and declare Gor Mahia champions over the COVID-19 pandemic which has halted football all over the world.

“A KPL Governing Council meeting will be convened next week depending on the new measures that the Government will announce to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic following the lapse of the 21-day nationwide curfew and cessation of movements in certain counties and local administrative areas on Saturday,” KPL said in a statement on Thursday afternoon.

President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to make an announcement over the state of the nationwide curfew as well as rules on cessation of movement in and out of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilifi, Kwale and Mandera counties.

-Financial difficulties

It is still to be seen how the league managers plan to end the season, especially bearing in mind their financial difficulties even before the season was halted.

KPL passed down the responsibility of paying referees to clubs while they are yet to pay out the league winning prize money to Gor Mahia for their triumph last season.

Looking at the protocols put out by FIFA for football to return worldwide, it will be an interesting watch to see if the financially struggling KPL clubs will be able to implement.

According to the FIFA guidelines, social distancing is expected to be maintained on travels and accommodation while all players and personnel are expected to be tested regularly. On travels, it would essentially mean that clubs will be expected to have at least two buses to attend matches.

-Not share hotel rooms

Players will also not be able to share hotel rooms as has been the norm before. Also under FIFA’s guidelines, players are expected to change their uniforms at half time.

With clubs already struggling to pay player salaries, the cost of testing, which will definitely fall on their quarters will be an additional financial burden on the teams.

On Wednesday, FKF boss Nick Mwendwa announced they will be waiting for government directives before announcing a roadmap for return to football in anticipation for next season.

The only African league which has continued at this period is Burundi which is set to conclude their campaign next month while Tanzania will resume on June 14.

Tunisia and South Africa have also started plans for resumption. Most leagues in Africa have either been annulled without champions or mid-season league standings used to name champions, like it happened in Uganda.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, June 8 – Nearly all fans on Gor Mahia terraces know Joseph Sudi ‘Ja Yimbo’ by nickname, but less is known about his antecedents. Sudi likes it that way!

Sudi gives credit to Kogalo for the exposure that has given him new face, this is good music to his ears.

He loves Gor because it’s a big team in the region “and have beautiful livery and play good football.”

“Our away color is white, meaning peace,” the 41-year-old quips.

Sudi is always tuned on as far as Gor fixtures are concerned but is steadfast in defending the club against negativity of crowd trouble. And he loves Manchester United to death, yet “green army” livery is what takes precedence, by and large.

“Gor Mahia FC has its own Bible and AFC Leopards has theirs. Our first verse says that when you want to support Gor you must have a thick skin because you can go to a match and lose. My church is Gor Mahia. Prior to kick-off when Jaro Soldier has sung the K’Ogalo anthem, fans maintain silence and I pray. I am the K’Ogalo bishop, you know. So, it’s always a complete weekend when both Gor and Man United chalk up maximum points,” Sudi revealed to Capital Sport.

-Nowadays No hooliganism-

Gor has on sundry occasions been associated with hooliganism and stone throwing. But this is one infamous trend ‘Ja Yimbo’ has vehemently denounced and worked to mitigate.

“Gone are the days when crowd trouble was the norm for Gor fans in the stadia. As fans we are obligated to protect stadia property because it’s our facility. Nowadays things have changed, and the way the world evolves many things are changing too,” the K’Ogalo adamant fan disclosed.

He added; “Club history is sentimental. But that doesn’t mean that we should continue doing things the way we used to 25 years ago. For a long time, women would not even bother greeting Gor fans or pass in-front of the team in a time of the derby which is awkward.”

“Today, Gor fans don’t want to be associated with those who throw stones or thieves who capitalize on situations to steal from others in stadium during matches. There is honestly no need throwing stones. You will throw stones and hit your family member or friends who might be there in the stadium or destroy property that will in turn be a burden to the Club.”

With renovation at Nyayo National Stadium complete with plastic chairs all over the terraces and the glass surroundings at the VIP section, Sports Ministry issued a stern warning to rowdy fans who will be culpable.

Sports Permanent Secretary Joe Okudo while inspecting the Nyayo Stadium announced that those found destroying the property will be jailed.

“Nyayo Stadium looks amazing after renovations and with glasses all over, I plead with our fans to steer clear from violence and protect property. I support the Government’s recent statement to take stern action against anyone caught up in the hooliganism menace. It’s the responsibility of the home team to sensitise its fans to protect property during match-days.”

“To be successful in the business of football, we all need to keep our eyes on the ball and say no to hooliganism. We truly savor our relationship with Ingwe and Mashemeji Derby, a clear indication of the direction we are taking in shunning hooliganism.

-Career painter-

Sudi, who started supporting Gor way back in 1996, is a career painter and committed family man. After attending  Kanyibok Primary School, the lanky football lover, later enrolled to Kamukunji Secondary in Nairobi but dropped out due to lack of school fees.

“I am a painter, during weekdays, I get some small jobs for painting which provides my daily bread.For now, the work has slowed down due to COVID-19 pandemic. It has affected my other way of getting ‘something small’ which I used to get during game days,” Sudi, who has four children, two boys and two girls stated.

-Started loving Gor-

“I used to keep tabs with matters football from the days football commentaries glorified the likes of Peter Dawo, John “Zangi” Okello and Abass Khamis Magogo, so ingrained was my love for the team. When Gor and AFC played we used to follow proceedings on radio back in the village in Yimbo, Usenge.”

“Stories of nostalgic Kadenge na Mpira radio commentaries made me love football more. So, when I came to Nairobi I said I must hook up with Gor and see how this wonderful club plays. I resided in Makongeni where it’s proximity to City Stadium was an advantage, so when Gor played we would walk to City Stadium.”

“I relate with Gor because I used to follow the team away back when I was young, Gor fans is more like a family. We check on each other because we nearly know our members and when a problem crops up, we help each other as a team to solve it, and that is what brought us together. We are like brothers and sisters,” the soft spoken Sudi narrated.

-Football Superstitions-

Like countless other fans across the African continent, Ja Yimbo is a strong believer in football superstitions and God fearing.

If Gor has no fixture on the weekend, he feels there is something amiss and this is when he goes to watch guys playing football in the nearby estate at Jakaranda. But on a match day for Gor he doesn’t sleep.

-How his day is like when Gor plays-

“So, we say ‘Juogi’ in Dholuo, meaning Spirits. When Gor plays, three days prior to the game you are supposed to sleep alone, and not be anywhere near your wife so that bad luck don’t follow you leading the Club to lose the match.

“Derby needs a lot more concentration, so my family including my wife are in the know. Before I leave the house, I pray, take a bath, take tea then wear my kanzu, take a Bible then I leave by 9am to be at the Tom Mboya statue in the CBD.

“We Gor fans like going to the Tom Mboya statue to seek his intervention. Tom Mboya used to love football and loved Gor Mahia. ‘If you look at the statue keenly you realise that Tom Mboya is pointing City Stadium’, the home of Gor. So, as the ‘Bishop’, I pray in-front of my followers that we come back with maximum points.

“The late Tom Mboya used to frequently attend Gor matches back in the day at City Stadiun which we call it Tok K’Omwanda loosely translated as home of Gor. This Bible is the constitution of Gor Mahia, if you want to join Gor there are things you need to know.

“If you want to join Gor you have to wear helmet for safety. If you don’t have helmet you wear a ‘Makuti’ hat known as ‘Othith’ in Dholuo that’s our identity. That guy called Gor Mahia used to wear it so we are following his foot steps.

“Before I became a Gor ‘Bishop’, on match-days I used to carry a big ‘Ugali’ and fish most of the time, and more so when we play our rivals AFC Leopards. In Luo land we love ‘kuon’ (ugali) and fish that is a precious dish from the lake region so when we take on our ‘Shemejis’ (AFC) as a symbol,  we give them fish and they give us chicken which is the main dish in Luhya land.”

The staunch Gor fan reckons that football is a sport that promotes peace, love and unity, so it should not culminate to a physical fight… “nowadays when we lose to AFC, we sit together and eat together because we are one.”

-Memorable moments-

The Gor verses AFC derby is Sudi’s highest moment of a season.

“Playing against Sony is also interesting because it’s a mini derby we see them as Gor ‘B’. My best moment is when we were playing Sony away in Awendo and the match was somewhat tough, but what amazed me is that before the match it started to rain cats and dogs, apparently there was no rain on the terraces. It was a very hard game but Gor won 1-0.

“That day there were chaos, Sony fans confronted me threatening to beat me up when I started the usual prayer before the match, but we were victors and our legend Zedekiah Otieno ‘Zico’ was Sony coach.”

-Rock Bottom-

“When there was a stampede in 2010, five fans lost their lives at Nyayo National Stadium during the Gor v AFC derby. I saw it with my eyes, and it was a painful experience. I will never forget that day.”

-Future plans for Gor-

‘Ja Yimbo’ believes Gor has no opponents in Kenya, calling on the management to ensure the team now stamp its authority in the continent.

“We are now used to it and there is no sweetness in it. It’s lonely up there and we now need to improve on our continental football, the problem is that the fixtures are not fair, we always start away which is a disadvantage to us. I went to a match in Rwanda when Gor were facing Rayon Sport and was inspired by the government’s gesture to supports their team.”

“When Gor goes away, the Government of Kenya needs to extend the requisite support to fans away. This will give the team the much-needed morale. If we could get good management at Gor we will surely go far. We really need our own stadium, residence for players, this way players will give us good result.”

-Coronavirus Pandemic-

“We have suffered a lot since the pandemic came in March. We call it Akori nya Chaina in Dholuo, meaning a girl from China. We have suffered as fans and players. You heard that Gor players were paid Ksh. 3000, to me that’s a big joke.

-Parting Shot-

“My message to fans is to have unity during this time of the pandemic. When it’s over we should support our teams and I pray to cooperate companies to supports local teams so that we lift the standards of football. For now, it’s a desperate situation with the ban in social gathering. There’s no money in the game and payers are suffering. Clubs are suffering in the KPL due to lack of sponsorship,” he said in finality.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 4 – From failed trials to growing up in the midst of crime and drugs, Jesse Were’s life wasn’t all that rosy from the start. Here is the story of hard work and determination, which, according to the striker is nowhere close to its best end.

-Failed trials-

On the final day of a week-long trial with Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) FC, Jesse Were was full of expectation that his dream of earning a first ever top flight contract was in the horizon.

He had managed to hang on till the final day, alongside defender David ‘Cheche’ Ochieng and he was almost certain he was going to be selected, until one Mungai Kiongera was called in in the eleventh hour.

The brief end of it is that Kiongera was picked at Jesse’s expense.

Well, it was not a bad pick by the bankers as Kiongera went on to hoist himself as one of the best strikers in the country but for the then 20-year old boy from Kibera, it was a day in which he contemplated hanging his boots.

Like dew on a fine sunny morning, his dream evaporated away, remaining a mirage from distance and he felt he had come to the end of his tether.

“I was really heartbroken. I had given my all and was certain that I would be signed. I had put my expectation there and for me, this looked like the start of the dream. But it didn’t happen. I wanted to hang my boots and when I left training, I had decided I was forgetting about football,” recollects Were, speaking to Capital Sports from Ndola.

-Deserved a place in the team-

“It was a disappointing moment for me. It is like going to war with a partner and coming home alone. It pained me more because I know he has the talent and he deserved to get a place in the team and seeing him dropped was a sad moment for me,” Ochieng who remains a close friend to the striker also stated.

He went back home to Kibera, with his mind made up that his marriage with football was going to end in a messy divorce. A heartbreak and broken dreams. He had had enough.

But, his academy coach, Glyde Aswani, the head coach at the Soccer Talent Academy wouldn’t hear any of that. Were had to be called back to their training base at the Kenya Assemblies of God (KAG) Training Ground for a good whipping.

“I couldn’t agree to what he was saying. I had been with him from when he was 11 years old and any tournament we went to, he was the top scorer. I knew he had talent and I could see it from the training ground. He was a natural goal poacher even at a young age,” coach Aswani says.

He adds; “He is very hard working and disciplined and I managed to convince him to keep playing because I knew he was a star in the making. Looking back, it was a wise decision to convince him to keep playing.”

-Growing up in a toxic environment-

What further inclined the Emusiria High School alumnus’ decision to keep playing was the kind of environment he had grown up around in Kibera where crime, drugs and sex were the norm.

He had watched as some of his friends, more talented than he was, die by the gun due to their wayward ways of going into crime in search of quick bucks and a better life.

“I grew up in a very toxic environment with lost of bad things from drugs to crime… there was a lot of peer pressure but I thank God I was focused. I saw my friends die because of crime and this was a lesson to us. Some were very talented and probably if I followed them, I would be dead as well,” Jesse recollects.

He says he was lucky to have gone to boarding school after finishing class eight at Toy Primary School and the fact that he was away from the hood during most of his teenage years helped him escape from the net of crime and drugs.

When he ultimately came back, football was all he thought of, even after failed trials with the bankers.

-Dusted himself waiting for a chance-

The forward dusted himself from the KCB fall and went back to Black Stars who were then playing in the Nairobi Region League. He kept his chin up, continued working hard and hopes his moment would soon come.

And come it did.

While playing in a friendly match with Mathare United at the Goan Institute, he caught the eye of then coach Salim Ali who picked up interest in him. Coincidentally at that same time, Salim was picking up a young team to head to Egypt for the Nile Basin Cup.

Salim called up Jesse to the national team training at the Nyayo National Stadium as he needed to see him more. Well, he wasn’t selected to proceed to the tournament with the national team, but earned himself a contract with Mathare United.

“When I saw him, I saw a top striker. I invited him to the national team to see him more and he had attributes that told me he had the potential to be a top striker not only in Kenya but in the continent. I decided I would sign him at Mathare,” Salim says.

Even at Mathare, it wasn’t an easy journey for Were. Apparently, most of the top honchos at the club were not pleased with Salim’s decision to sign the young inexperienced boy from Kibera. They didn’t see much in him. But Salim did and stuck to his guns.

“He was very thin at that time and many people disapproved my decision to sign him. He was very small for a striker but I trusted him. He was blessed with technique and as a coach that is all you need. The rest you can work on to build that potential,” explains Salim.

-Extra training, improved diet-

Extra training on the pitch and in the gym at home, an improved diet and more target practice were the ingredients Salim sprinkled on the young Jesse with the hope that he will sprout to become one of the best in the country.

“He trusted me and did as I told him and for a coach, that is a great thing,” Salim notes.

His prowess couldn’t go unnoticed and after just a season and a half at the Goan based club where he primed himself as a trusted lieutenant infront of goal, scoring nine times in the 2012 season, the brewers of Ruaraka came calling.

Jesse joined Tusker at the beginning of the 2013 season but his start was on and off, playing a paltry matches. But as soon as he got his rocking boat smoothly sailing, he didn’t stop.

“Being at Tusker was one of the best moments in my career. It was a different environment from Mathare with more facilities and a different mindset because the demands there are a lot. They want to win the title every season and there is no room for slowing down. It improved me as a player,”

His success grew at the Ruaraka based club and he went on to clinch the Golden Boot in 2015, netting 22 goals in the process with his nemesis Michael Olunga going on to win player of the year and second in the golden boot chase with 19 goals.

The success in 2015 invited the appetite of many clubs around the continent. He had so many teams on the table, but he had to make a decision.

“There were so many teams which knocked on the door at the end of the 2015 season and I needed to make a good decision. I didn’t want to rush or be carried away by the financial aspects of any deal. I sat down with my family and advisors and we deliberated on all the clubs,” Jesse explains.

-Turned my neck-

“Everyone had their own opinion, but Zesco turned my neck. I wasn’t very sure, but the fact that Calabr (David Owino) had been there before and was successful further convinced me that I can trust my instincts and move there.”

“What bettered it further was the fact that when I landed in 2016 to sign, we met with Teddy (Akumu) there. We were now three Kenyans in the same team and that in short meant you feel at home,” Were further states.

His wheels kept grinding in Zambia and quickly became a darling of the team, and was named the side’s best player in 2017 when he was the top scorer in both league and continental matches with 23 goals; 16 in the league and seven in continental football.

In his first season, he won the Absa Cup with the team and despite failing to clinch the league title, he still managed to bag 16 goals and was the second top scorer in the Zambian league. He went on to win league titles in 2017, 2018 and 2019, where he also won his second Absa Cup title.

“My highest moment with Zesco was in 2016 when we reached the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League, narrowly losing to Mamelodi Sundowns. We had such an amazing campaign and we played really well in a year we deserved to go all the way to the final,” states Jesse.

But 2017 still remains a season he will never forget, especially in the manner in which they won the league title.

“It was the final game of the season against Mfulira Wanderers and we needed to win the match to clinch the title. We were trailing 2-0 but we turned that round and won 4-2. I scored two goals and with that we won the league. It was a surreal moment,” Jesse recounts.

-Another league title-

With the COVID-19 situation halting football all over the world, the Zambian Super League is on hold but pending resumption. Zesco are fifth and four points off the pace with 10 rounds of matches remaining. Were is optimistic he can finish off another season with a title.

He looks back at the last four years in Zambia with a lot of admiration and happiness, all this coming down to that one decision in 2011, to rescind his decision to quit the beautiful game.

“Coming to a foreign land and doing so well and fitting in is not something easy. I am really proud of everything looking back at all the success. I am thankful to coach Aswani for never giving up on me and encouraging me to keep working and never give up,” Jesse notes

“I am proud looking at him now. I always knew he was going to make it and now, he is one of the people who are influencing the next generation of players in my academy. Every time he is home, he has to come to the academy and talk to the young players,” coach Aswani comments.

His first top-flight coach at Mathare, Salim Ali says; “If there is something that always makes me proud as a coach is seeing the success that Jesse has had. The belief and faith I had in him has proved to be right because going on to become a top scorer in a foreign league is no mean achievement. I am really happy to see him succeed.”

-National team struggles, missing out on AFCON-

While it has ticked for him at club level, the national team has remained an elusive hit for Were despite his good form. In 26 appearances in Harambee Stars color, Jesse is yet to get the glee of celebrating a goal in the red black and white.

Last year, 2019, proved to be a particularly discouraging year, matters national team.

He had been off some really good form at Zesco and with Harambee Stars qualifying to the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 15 years, he had hoped to fight for a place in the final team to Egypt.

But it was never to be. Not even the provisional training squad that travelled for a training camp in France.

“it hurt me a lot to be honest because AFCON is one of the biggest tournaments in the continent and it’s everyone’s dream to play for their country there. I was in top form and I missed a call up and definitely it hurt. But that said, it’s part of life.”

“Coaches are different and everyone has their own style and preferred players so I have no hard feelings for that miss.I was happy for my fellow teammates that they got that chance and I know my time will come someday,” he adds.

Were who has been recalled by new coach Francis Kimanzi, who coached him at Tusker, believes he can succeed because the tactician understands his strengths and weaknesses.

“He is a coach I know and who knows me as well so I know it will be smoother. I can excel working with him and I hope to impress and get my opportunities. I will keep working hard and hopefully the best is yet to come,” he notes.

-Future at Zesco-

With the success at Zesco, the 30 year old believes he still has what it takes to try out another top league in Africa.

“I am still committed here at Zesco but definitely I would love to scale up and try a different challenge but it will depend on a lot,” he says.

Were who has invested in his life outside football with several businesses in the city also plans to set up an academy in Kibera as he looks to impart more lives positively and give young players a platform to showcase their talents and launch careers, same way coach Aswani offered him a platform at Soccer Talents.

The post Jesse Were: From the backstreets of Kibera to king’s throne in Ndola appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 10 – Depending on the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chapa DImba Na Safaricom All Star team is still scheduled to travel to Madrid, Spain for a 10-day training camp, according to La Liga delegate for Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia, Oliver Dodd.

The team had been initially scheduled to travel to Spain after the final round of regional matches, but with the situation around COVID-19 and the stoppages to all European leagues coupled with the banning of flights, the same was not possible

“We are in constant talks with Safaricom. It is difficult to know when the tournament will start again because it depends on the government. We will still go to Spain eventually with the chosen players from across the regions,” Dodd said on Wednesday during an Online meeting with regional journalists, alongside Spain legend Gaizka Mendieta.

Dodd added; “We will do that in December or November maybe, depending on how the situation will be. The tournament was postponed when it was headed towards the end and we have to finish first then organize the trip to Spain. It is something that will be done. We will go to Spain. It is just a question of when.”

The All-Star team made the first trip to Spain last year when the squad of 32 had training camps in the Catalunya region.

The tournament this year had the Nyanza and Western region finals pending after the government banned public gatherings in part of efforts of curtailing the spread of COVID-19.

-La Liga returning-

However, football is slowly returning to its feet with the Spanish La Liga set to become the second of the Major European leagues to re-start on Thursday with Sevilla taking on Real Betis at 11pm EAT.

Dodd took the journalists through the process that La Liga has taken to ensure that football returns, major of which are the health protocols taken to ensure everything is done within the right framework.

“We are definitely very excited with the return of La Liga. We will have 40 consecutive days of football until July 19, we are all very happy to see all these top teams back to action. Four time slots have been chosen for the games and each will be confirmed depending on the temperature because summers in Spain get too hot,” Dodd said.

Meanwhile, Spain legend Mendieta who enjoyed eight years playing at Valencia said it will be a challenging new normal for the teams as they get used to playing in empty stadium and coming off after a three-month break occasioned by the virus.

“It is a challenge that players will have to face playing without fans. Sometimes it affects the mood and the performance of the players because fans boost the confidence and energy. But, they have been preparing themselves to play without that kind of an atmosphere for a while now,” Mendieta said.

He adds; “We have seen in the Bundesliga that now the home teams are not more dominant in matches and that makes it more exciting.”

Dodd has meanwhile said La Liga has set up plans to have virtual home crowds during matches together with an applause at the 20^th minute of each game from pre-recorded fans, dedicated to all victims of COVID -19 as part of the #BackToWin campaign.

-Different atmosphere-

With the long break occasioned by the virus and the fact that atmosphere will be different, there has been a thought that smaller teams might surprise the big ones, but Mendieta maintains he believes the status quo will remain.

“I think it will be the same but it will be definitely challenging because of the long break and the body has to be in constant communication with the body. I think the individual talent will make the difference. Managers will also have to be very clever in how they make their decisions,” the legend who also featured for Barcelona, Lazio and Middlesbrough stated.

La Liga Fixtures

Thursday

Sevilla v Real Betis (11pm)

Friday

Granada v Getafe (8pm), Valencia v Levante (11pm)

Saturday

Espanyol v Alaves (3pm), Celta Vigo v Villarreal (6pm), Leganes v Real Valladolid (8:30pm), Mallorca v Barcelona (11pm)

Sunday

Athletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (3pm), Real Madrid v Eibar (8:30pm), Real Scciedad v Osasuna (11pm)

The post Chapa Dimba na Safaricom All Star Spain trip to be rescheduled appeared first on Capital Sports.