BATTLE OF THE BRUISED:Battered Sofapaka seek recovery as they host limping AFC Leopards
Football
By
Odindo Ayieko
| Oct 28, 2016
Ezekiel Akwana is perhaps Sofapaka’s most successful coach, after Robert Matano, who won the Kenyan Premier League title with the side in 2009.
Having brought Sofapaka close to becoming the first Kenyan side to reach the CAF Confederations Cup group stages, which included beating Egypt’s powerhouse Ismailia, Akwana built himself an enviable CV that has now seen him being mentioned among great coaches in Kenya.
Now at AFC Leopards, Akwana finds himself in an interesting spot of having to drill another nail in Sofapaka’s coffin, when he leads Ingwe against the Batoto ba Mungu today at 3pm in Machakos.
On the opposite side will be John Baraza, now coach at Sofapaka. Baraza took over from David Ouma, who was fired over a week ago.
Both sides are not in their best form. For most of the season, they have been struggling. While AFC Leopards are safe from relegation, they are not pleased with their ranking.
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They have 30 points from 27 rounds of matches and have not won a game in their last six outings. Already, Leopards are way below the top eight spots.
“It is a position we are not happy with and we need to win our remaining games,” club chairman Dan Mule said.
“We have talked to the players and the technical bench to make some improvements and I hope they will heed to the call. Nobody is happy at all,” he added after last weekend’s 2-0 loss to rivals Gor Mahia.
Sofapaka beat Muhoroni Youth 2-1 last weekend and know they still have a fighting chance to survive relegation, but must win all their remaining matches.
“We can still make it,” Baraza said. “We have picked up well. We need the nine points. The players are working hard and they believe it can happen,” he added.
“There is that realisation that we hold our destiny. Relegation is not in our minds at the moment and we are taking one game at a time.”
There are no favourites in this game, but going by the last three games, Sofapaka look the better side, having collected four points out of a possible nine, while AFC Leopards have picked one over the same period.
“Those four points have been crucial and if we can collect the remaining nine, then we may have pulled a lifesaving act, even though that also depend on other factors.”
True, Sofapaka will have to beat AFC Leopards, Mathare United and Thika United and hope Ushuru, who are just above them with five points, lose to Muhoroni Youth, City Stars and Posta Rangers.
Leopards will be without Allan Kateregga, Bernard Ongoma and Eugene Ambulwa, all suspended for the game. Katerega is serving a second match suspension after receiving a red card against Ulinzi Stars, while Ongoma and Ambulwa have accumulated five yellow cards, thus making them ineligible.