Sportpesa launch Super Cup

Chairman Gor Mahia FC and Chairman KPL Ambrose Rachier (left) and Ronald Karauri CEO SportPesa Ronald Karauri share light moment during the unveiling of the annual SportPesa Cup tournament in Nairobi on Wednesday, May 24, 2017. [PHOTO: JONAH ONYANGO/STANDARD]

Sports betting firm SportPesa launched a regional football tournament in Nairobi yesterday.

The lucrative inaugural SportPesa Super Cup will be held between June 5-11 at the 20,000-seater Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The tournament will be contested by eight teams from Tanzania and Kenya.

Teams that will fight it out for the Sh3 million winners’ purse includes Kenyan arch-rivals Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards.

The other Kenyan sides are Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions Tusker and Nakuru All Stars.

Tanzanian sides include; Vodacom champions Yanga SC and their rivals Simba SC, Singida and Jang’ombe from Zanzibar have also been drawn in the fiercest fixtures pitting regional giants and foes.

Opening the knockout fixtures on June 5 will be AFC Leopards against Singida before Tusker face Yanga in the biggest clash of the day.

Simba will clash with Nakuru All Stars before Gor Mahia take on Jang’ombe at the venue.

“The proud winner of this lucrative tournament will face a famous English Premier League side on July 13,” said SportPesa CEO Ronald Karauri.

While explaining their reasons for coming up with the SportPesa Super Cup, Karauri noted: “For decades since the Gossage Cup started in 1926, Kenyan and Tanzanian teams have been involved in classic football battles which have excited and captivated their supporters at home and across Africa.”

“So SportPesa realised the need to bring back the glorious days of Kenyan and Tanzanian football by launching this tournament.”

Gor Mahia forward Meddie Kagere said: “This will be a morale booster to the players in the region.”

It will be an annual tournament with the second edition scheduled for Kenya next year.