Ingwe will win Kenya Premier League as Liverpool bag English Premier League trophy

By ANIL BAKARI

KENYA: The New Year has brought a lot of freshness, with many exchanging high-fives and there is hope for better times ahead.

For sports, it will be a year of fireworks. A couple of major sporting events are scheduled to happen in the coming months, giving sports enthusiasts something to smile about.

As an appetiser, the Dakar Rally has just started and there will be Olympic Games in Russia, Women’s U-17 World Cup, World Cup in Brazil, Commonwealth Games and FIVB Women’s Volleyball Championships, among others.

It is a packed year for sports lovers across the world, and so it should be for local ones. Then, there are the ‘usual’ sporting events where ongoing English Premier League (EPL) and Kenya Premier League (KPL) fall.

While the Olympics and the World Cup promise to be mouth-watering, the real thriller will come from EPL and KPL.

The two leagues will keep fans on the edge of their seats in what may be a repeat of 2012 season, when Manchester City FC won EPL and Tusker FC KPL.

My prediction is that as in 2012, the two leagues this year will be determined at the last minute, with the final games deciding the victors.

The ‘nonsense’ that happened in the past season, where Gor Mahia FC and Manchester United FC won the leagues months before the end, will not recur.

Fresh from consulting my forefathers in the village, I can authoritatively predict that Liverpool FC and AFC Leopards will win this year’s EPL and KPL, respectively.

For EPL, forget about Arsenal. They always start well, but when the league gains momentum, they lose psyche and go back to what they are used to — losing. Liverpool has walked alone for many years and are thirsty for victory.

They are the real deal this season if you want to place your bet.

They have shown the desire to win the league by staying in top form despite the losses, occasionally topping the league and not giving false hope like Arsenal or dragging feet like Manchester United.

And in KPL, AFC will win the league because they have hired the ‘old guard’, who a look at their faces and bodies, shows nothing but solid experience. AFC, like President Uhuru Kenyatta, know that if you want things done, engage wazees because they know how to tighten loose ends.

So, Gor Mahia should start preparing for the handing over ceremony as soon as the league starts.