Clawless Leopards struggle to keep up as league gathers pace
Football
By
Washington Onyango
| Oct 26, 2021
AFC Leopards fans are staring at a difficult season of heartache and disappointments after the club dropped to 12th in the new FKF Premier League season with only four rounds played.
Despite being boosted with the second highest number of fans in the country after record champions Gor Mahia, Leopards have hit the wall in the 2021-2022 season after failing to win any of their last three matches.
On Sunday, Bandari added salt to Leopards wound after defeating the 12-time champions 2-1 at Mbaraki, a result that condemned them to 12th in the log with four points.
Ingwe started the season on a high after edging out defending champions Tusker 1-0 on the opening day of the season last month before playing out to a barren draw with KCB.
Leopards then followed the draw with a defeat in the Mashemeji Derby where they went down 1-0 to rivals Gor Mahia last Wednesday before being caged at the docks by Bandari over the weekend.
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Speaking after the match, Leopard head coach Patrick Aussems urged the club management to look for a solution on the transfer ban to be able to sign players to help the club. He said the club needs strikers because they have inexperienced players.
Leopards were suspended from signing players for two transfer windows by the world football governing body Fifa after failing to clears debts of former tacticians Marko Vasiljevic, Andre Cassa Mbungo, and ex-players Tressor Ndikumana, Vincent Habamahoro, and Soter Kayumba.
“I am hoping we will be able to recruit at least two strikers. The Bandari game showed why we need some fresh legs. We lost many players and again we can’t sign. It becomes difficult to perform at the highest level,” said the Belgian.
Ingwe lost over 10 players before the season started.
Meanwhile, Mathare United seem to have risen from the ruins of last season as they beat Nzoia Sugar 2-1 at the weekend to move into the top ten after starting the season on a low.
The Slum Boys who struggled for the better part of last season started the new campaign with losses to Bandari (3-0) and Ulinzi Stars (1-0).
However, they seem to have found their footing once again after back to back 2-1 wins against Sofapaka and Nzoia Sugar.