Round Six of Kenyan Premier League matches played last weekend served fanatics with the good, bad and ugly sides of the country’s top-flight football league.
The good includes exciting football contests across the country with Gor Mahia’s last gasp win over Kariobangi Sharks and AFC Leopards’ draw against Western Stima in Machakos County standing out.
The bad entails the inability of Sony Sugar and Chemelil Sugar to honour their engagements versus Tusker and Bandari respectively, owing to financial constraints.
This is the first time in more than a decade that two top-flight clubs in the Kenyan league have awarded walkovers.
Worse, the league’s Chief Executive Jack Oguda confirmed to Nation Sport on Monday that Sony Sugar – the competition’s winners in 2008 – will be relegated from the competition if the team fails to honour its next assignment at home to Kisumu All Stars.
“The rules are clear. A team that fails to honour three consecutive league matches is automatically relegated,” explained Oguda.
Sony Sugar also failed to show up at their Awendo backyard for the league assignment against AFC Leopards on October 5.
Meanwhile, the ugly was provided for in the circumstances surrounding coach Fred Ambani and technical director Stanley Okumbi’s departure from Wazito.
FALLOUT
The duo was sacked by the club after a publicized fallout among themselves which was anything but diplomatic.
“I would like to thank coach Ambani and coach Okumbi for their great service to the club,” club Chief Executive Dennis Gicheru.
These dismissals were also linked to the moneybags’ poor start to the league season where the team is placed 13th on the 18-team log, and specifically that 4-2 humiliation at the hands of Kakamega Homeboyz.
Club owner Ricardo Badoer has since warned that underperforming players will also be shipped out.
Meanwhile, Gor coach Steve Polack could not hide his excitement after the team maintained its 100 percent start to the season.
“We were made to wait (for the goal) until the last minute but it was worth it. My boys showed the hunger in the final quarter and that made the difference,” he said.
Leopards too had to show grit to rescue a point from a determined Stima. Burundian import Tresor Ndikumana tapped home the equalising goal in the last ten minutes of the game.
“I had to risk to replace my full-backs in place of attackers at the start of the second half because we had nothing to lose at the time. This fighting spirit will pay off at the end of the season,” explained Leopards coach Casa Mbungo.
Elsewhere, Sofapaka succumbed to a shock 2-1 defeat to a broke but enterprising Nzoia Sugar, a day after ‘Batoto Ba Mungu’ had hit the jackpot and unveiled a multi-million sponsorship deal.