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Success-starved Leopards fans are hoping for positive results next season but they might need to settle for less yet again given the obvious problems at the Den
Upon his appointment as AFC Leopards new coach last month, Tom Juma termed their current predicament as a nightmare that he hopes will be sorted before the 2023-24 Football Kenya Federation Premier League season kicks off.
Leopards are currently under a transfer ban, having been sanctioned by FIFA for failing to pay Juma’s predecessor Patrick Aussems his dues on time. Ingwe have a bill of over Ksh21 million owed to the Belgian coach which they must pay before their ban is lifted.
Indeed, it is a nightmare situation as the club was already under a two-window transfer ban heading into the offseason, having been punished by FIFA again, this time for failing to settle dues owed to former player Soter Kayumba.
It means the last time Leopards registered a new player was in early 2022 and hopes that they would be able to register new ones and build a formidable squad this time hit a snag when the Aussems situation happened.
Impact of transfer ban
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10:00 - 26.07.2023
AFC Leopards’ new coach reveals nightmare scenario that makes it impossible for him to set targets for next season
Tom Juma was confirmed as Ingwe’s new tactician but he does not think the club will survive in the FKF Premier League in 2023-24 under current circumstances
Ingwe paid the price for lack of reinforcements as a thin squad that lacked enough quality and experience struggled to post consistent results, limping to a seventh place finish in 2022-23.
Any hopes of winning a trophy also went up in smoke when they lost to Kakamega Homeboyz in the FKF Cup semi-final, extending their trophy less spell to six years.
“If you look at last season, we lacked depth, especially towards the end when fixtures became congested, injuries and fatigue arrived and that is how we lost our season. It is, therefore, important to strengthen so that we are able to compete from the beginning to the end,” Juma told Pulse Sports last month.
“It would be one of the worst scenarios (if not allowed to sign), we don’t want to even imagine because as we speak, we have like four players on long-term injuries and we had a very lean squad last season.”
It, therefore, goes without saying that Ingwe must strengthen if they want to make sense of the upcoming campaign, otherwise, even the seventh-place of last season could look like a huge achievement.
Injuries & uncertain futures
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To make matters worse, Nigerian striker Ojo Olaniyi left the club last month while goalkeeper Levis Opiyo, Saad Musa, Owen Mboya and Victor Omuna are nursing injuries, just weeks before they kick off the season with a home tie against FC Talanta on August 27.
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18:20 - 01.07.2023
FKFPL Eugene Mukangula adresses reports of AFC Leopards exit
The deposed captain was set to leave AFC Leopards at the end of the season after the National Executive Council sought to strip him of the captaincy.
There are also question marks over the future of Eugene Mukangula (pictured above) and Peter Thiong’o whose contracts expired at the end of last season. All these were key players in 2022-23 and if Ingwe were to start the new campaign without reinforcements, it could be a tough ask even against the less-fancied Talanta.
The new arrivals
To their credit, Ingwe have been busy in the market in anticipation for the lifting of their ban. So far, defender Randy Bakari, goalkeeper Humphrey Katasi, winger Hassan Beja, left-back Vincent Mahiga and midfielder Boniface Munyendo have been lured from Nzoia Sugar while Brian Yakhama from FC Talanta has also joined.
Winger Cliffton Miheso has returned to the Den after leaving Kenya Police while former Sofapaka midfielder Shawn Daniel Oloo has reportedly also joined.
Darajani Gogo’s Nicholas Omondi and Brian Solom Mandela from Mwatate United have also been training with the club with the hope that they will be registered before the transfer window closes.
Divided NEC
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All these are talented players who will add bite, experience and quality that was badly lacking last season but all that depends on whether the Ingwe hierarchy can find the money to settle Aussems’ dues in time.
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18:03 - 11.07.2023
FOOTBALL AFC Leopards official reveals why getting new coach, signing players may take long
The Ingwe boss explained the reasons holding most decisions at the Den in the wake of Patrick Aussems’ departure.
Already divided in two camps, one oscillating around chairman Dan Shikanda, and the other towards Secretary General Gilbert Andugu, both sides need to find a common ground for the good of the team or risk sinking the club further.
Bumpy ride far from over
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But even if they manage to get their ban lifted, Juma will need some sort of magic to get them firing on all cylinders immediately since integrating new players takes time and it could be up to the mid-season before the results start trickling in.
Leopards fans are notoriously impatient and even with the obvious problems at the club, they will still dream and demand a title.
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18:33 - 03.08.2023
FOOTBALL When AFC Leopards last won a trophy: Who were the players & where are they now?
Pulse Sports rolls back the years on the stars that helped Ingwe to their last piece of silverware six years ago.
Ingwe’s last Premier League crown arrived 25 years ago and even the most optimistic of fans should not expect the next one in 2023-24 given the likes of Gor Mahia, Tusker and Kenya Police have far better and settled squads which were already producing positive results last season.
Leopards’ supporters might, therefore, need to be patient since the bumpy ride is far from over and the new season will offer little respite.
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