AFC Leopards to miss out on silverware again

Former league champions AFC Leopards are set to miss out on silverware for the second successive season after they were kicked out of the SportPesa Shield Cup over the weekend.
Ingwe, who last won the domestic cup in 2017, were bundled out of this season’s tournament by minnows Bungoma SuperStars, who beat them 4-3 in post-match penalties at the Bukhungu stadium, at the round of 16 stage after the two teams played to a 1-1 draw in regular time.

With the club sitting fifth from bottom in the SportPesa Premier League table with 18 points off the top, the early exit suggests that the big cats will walk away from this season’s activities exhausted, frustrated and empty handed for yet another year.

Ingwe have struggled with performances throughout the season, but this latest ouster was particularly painful as it came against a team that is way beneath the big cats.

While Ingwe have a well experienced coach in the shape of Rwandan Cassa Mbungo, the Superstars of Bungoma were guided to victory by unsung hero Ibrahim Shikanda, a CAF B licensed, former Tusker defender, who worked with a purely local playing unit, as opposed to Ingwe’s expensively acquired players.

Most of Shikanda’s players are secondary school leavers who draw no salaries from the club management and only survive on training and winning allowances.

And when they do train, their sessions are usually conducted at the bumpy, bare Kanduyi stadium grounds, and sometimes inside local primary schools.

And while Ingwe have a sponsor at hand and a bus to facilitate players' transport, Bungoma Superstars rely on the well-wishers support to help them raise public transport fare to get to their games.

During their trainings, the players can be seen either barefooted or wearing old, torn boots as the good ones are reserved for important games. In the absence of proper training kits, the Superstars usually train with all manner of sports gear, including trousers.

“They (Leopards) need to train more. Their players are just so heavy. We were tactically superior and we won the match because I used my experience to motivate the players and remove the fear factor that some players have when facing such big teams.

“We could be facing Kariobangi Sharks next and I hope they won’t come here thinking that we are a small team. Let them come prepared because it will not be an easy match,” Shikanda told Nation Sport on Monday.

The defeat has become a major talking point among Ingwe faithful and has turned the heat up on the club elections that are scheduled for June this month.

League champions Gor Mahia will tackle Bandari in the final round of 16 match on April 14.

SPL sides KCB and Western Stima have already secured their places in the last eight, as well as lower tier sides Bidco United, SS Assad, Congo Boys and Bungoma SuperStars.

Results:

Western Stima 1-2 Wazito

AFC Leopards 1-1 (3-4) Bungoma Superstars

Mwatate United 0-0 (4-5) Congo Boys

SS Assad vs0-0 (9-8) Naivas

Bidco United w/o Dero FC

KCB 4-2 Vihiga Sportiff