Kariobangi Sharks coach Muluya challenges his team to gun for title
Football
By
Correspondent
| Jul 14, 2019
Kariobangi Sharks head coach William Muluya has urged his players to use the good show over English Premier League side Everton as inspiration to gun for a maiden SportPesa Premier League (SPL) title in the forthcoming season.
Muluya was impressed with the effort his charges displayed when they held the might of the nine-time English league winners last Sunday in front of a record crowd at Kasarani Stadium to a 1-1 draw before edging a subsequent shootout 4-3 to lift the SportPesa Trophy.
Their showing eclipsed that of record 18-time domestic league winners Gor Mahia who fell to 2-1 to Everton in Dar-es-Salaam and 4-0 at Goodison Park in July 2017 and November 2018 having earned the rights to play the Toffees by winning the first two editions of the SportPesa Cup.
Muluya is hoping his team can learn from Gor who used their spirited performance against Everton despite the narrow defeat to return home and charge to their 16th league title in the second half of the 2017 under former head coach, Dylan Kerr.
“This is a moment in history that nobody will ever forget and I'm very proud of my players for their efforts, I salute them,” Muluya said.
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He was speaking at the onset of a three-day meet-the-fans appreciation and CSR tour organised by SportPesa and the club during the week.
The tour involved CSR activities by the players in Kariobangi, Huruma, Kawangware and Embakasi among other city estates.
The team partnered with SportPesa’s Kits for Africa initiative to distribute football gear to various grassroots teams.
Kariobangi Sharks captain Eric Juma thanked the fans for coming out in large numbers to support the club last Sunday and called on people to extend that support to their SPL fixtures when the league kicks off on August 30.
“Every Kenyan showed up to give us support and Sharks are grateful. Please continue supporting us. We promise to work very hard,” he said.
“As for the kits initiative, I would not be here were it not for the support someone gave me at the very beginning and I appreciate this project. Growing up in Kariobangi, we played football wearing anything and with make-do balls,” Juma added.