Kenya Football .:. Story - Kenya Football News Summaries

Star studded Guinea squad lands in town
Daily Nation, Thursday, June 5, 2008
Story by CHARLES NYENDE

A star-studded Guinea arrived in Nairobi Wednesday comprising all their leading lights from the European lea-gues. Captain Pascal Feindouno of St Ettiene (France), Toulouse’s (France) tricky forward Fode Mansare, giant defender Bobo Balde of Scottish side Celtic and Ismael Bongoura of Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine) are all in the Guinea side that will face Harambee Stars in a World Cup/Africa Cup of Nations Group Two qualifier on Saturday at the Nyayo Stadium.

The team, under French coach Robert Nouzaret has, however, several changes from the squad that reached the quarterfinals of the Nations Cup held earlier this year in Ghana. They began their 2010 campaign with a barren draw against Zimbabwe in Conakry, while Kenya lost 0-2 to Namibia in Windhoek a weekend ago. “Kenya is a good team. We know they lost to Namibia and we know it will be hard and difficult for Guinea. All teams in Africa are good and matches are difficult,” Guinea team manager, Camara Kimoko, said at the team hotel.

Guinea jetted in the country unannounced and a day early than scheduled catching local administrators un-awares. And according to officials, the Guineans had made no arrangements for their accommodation in Nairobi contrary to the new FIFA rules that require the visiting team to cater for their hotel stay.

Meanwhile, there was a sigh of relieve at the Harambee Stars camp when Dennis Oliech was ruled able to play on Saturday. The Auxerre forward picked up a thigh knock against Namibia and has been under close observa-tion. He trained with the team Wednesday but had to put his recovering quadriceps under ice treatment.

St Etienne star leads Guinea into Kenya
Standard, Thursday, June 5, 2008
By Gilbert Wandera

French Ligue one side St Etienne striker, Pascal Feindouno, led a star-studded Guinea side that arrived in Nairobi on Wednesday morning for the weekend World Cup qualifying match. Feindouno, who is also the captain of the Guinea national team, will be hoping to guide them to victory over Harambee Stars at Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday. Many Kenyans will remember the lethal striker for his prowess in guiding Guinea to the quarter-finals of this year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals where they lost to Ivory Coast but he did not play as he was serving a suspension. He has previously been linked to a move to the English Premier League with Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez expressing interest last year.

Other than Feindouno also in the Guinea squad Scotish division one side defender Balde Bobo. Bobo’s towering height is intimidating to most strikers. He is familiar with the local fans who watched him play in Nairobi two years ago. There is also Bangoura Ismael of Russian side Dynamo Kiev, Mansare Fode who plays for Toulouse in the French Ligue one and veteran goalkeeper Camara Kemoko of Dundee United that features in the top Scotish league. Guinea coach Nouzaret Robert said he cannot predict the results of Saturday’s game saying he was only a tactician. "I cannot say what the results will be iam only a coach," he said. Kenyan journalists had a hectic time interviewing the Frenchman who does not speak English and the team did not have a translator.

The coach at one point complained of the hotel they had booked themselves in saying it was not upto their standard. According to the new FIFA rules, the responsibility of hosting visiting teams has been removed from the home team. Every team has to pay for their accommodation during the qualifying matches. Another official from the Guinea national team Camara Ousman said they are in Nairobi to get atleast a point. "It may not be possible for us to win here but we are fighting for atleast one point," he said, Ousman said he knows a lot about the Kenyan team having watched AJ Auxerre striker Denis Oliech playing in France. "Kenya is unbeatable at home and we will be lucky to pick a point," he added. He said the team did not prepare for their last weekend draw against Zimbabwe in Cornarky due to a political problem at home and player’s fatigue.

Full Guinea squad: Camara Kamoko, Downbouya Aly, Mansare Fode, Zayatte Kamal, Sacko Mohamed, Cisse Karamoko, Diallo Boubacor, Camara Abyeny, Diallo Ibrahim, Yattara Naby, Camara Yangue, Camara Yadi, Souare Ibrahima, Kalabane Oumar, Cisse Yorlaex, Bangoura Ismael, Balde Algassou, Johnson Samuel and Balde Bobo.

Guinea Syli Star jet into the country
KBC, Thursday, June 5, 2008
Kennedy Langat

The national soccer team Harambee star's opponents in the world cup cum Africa cup of nations qualifier match the Syli national of Guinea, arrived in the country Wednesday morning ready for this weekend's match. The team however came with 35 players instead of the required 25.

The Kenya Football Federation Secretary General Sammy Obingo said that according to the world soccer governing body FIFA rules they are supposed to cater for only 25 players while the rest 10 will be taken care of by the federation concerned. Some of the players to watch in the Saturdays match include France based Pascal Senduno, Ishmael Bangura from Ukraine's Dynamo Kiev, and Gordo Valde who plays for Celtic of Scotland among others. Guinea will be seeking to earn crucial win against Harambee Stars after a barren draw with Zimbabwe in Conakry last weekend. Head coach Robert Nouzret who joined Syli stars in February this year and led them to their second quarter final appearance at the Africa cup of nations in Ghana refused to comment about the pending tie.

Meanwhile, Harambee stars continue to intensify their training at the Moi International sports center Kasarani ahead of the weekend's match. Coach Francis Kimanzi said on Tuesday that they want to improve on their de-fense force, which was their undoing in Namibia last weekend. Namibia who lead group two with 3 points will be away to their South African Counterparts Zimbabwe. Kenya's next tie will be next weekend against Zimbabwe here in Nairobi while Guinea will lock horns with Namibia in Windhoek.

Guinea jet into the country
www.kenyafootball.com, Thursday, June 5, 2008

The Guinean National Squad jetted into the country early this morning. The flew from Zimbabwe, where they were held to a 1-1 draw. Their arrival was quiet and information regarding their arrival time was scanty. Sources told kenyafootball.com that Guinea had not communicated with the Kenyan Premier League as of yesterday. Without any diplomatic representation in the country, Guinean interests are supposedly taken care of by the French Embassy in Nairobi, who issue Kenyan visitors to Guinea with Visas. The French Embassy officials however, were also not aware of Guinea's arrival. In another twist, the Kenyan Premier League has guaranteed the stay of the Guineans, as the team was out of cash. They are currently putting up at the Hotel 680.

Guinea: Oliech is our man to watch...
www.kenyafootball.com, Thursday, June 5, 2008
By Francis Gaitho.

Guinea's National Team Manager Camara Kimoko has set his eyes on Kenya's Dennis Oliech as the man to watch in their upcoming clash on Saturday as the team which is aptly christened "Syli Star" jetted into the country. With the French connection in Guinea, the team must have had ample time assessing Oliech's strengths and weaknesses prior to arriving in Kenya. The team however came with 35 players instead of the required 25. The Kenya Football Federation Secretary General Sammy Obingo said that according to the world soccer governing body FIFA rules they are supposed to cater for only 25 players while the rest 10 will be taken care of by the federation concerned.

Some of the players to watch in the Saturdays match include France based Pascal Senduno, Ishmael Bangura from Ukraine's Dynamo Kiev, and Gordo Valde who plays for Celtic of Scotland among others. Guinea will be seeking to earn crucial win against Harambee Stars after a barren draw with Zimbabwe in Conakry last weekend. Head coach Robert Nouzret who joined Syli stars in February this year and led them to their second quarter final appearance at the Africa cup of nations in Ghana refused to comment about the pending tie.

Meanwhile, Harambee stars continue to intensify their training at the Moi International sports center Kasarani ahead of the weekend's match. Coach Francis Kimanzi said on Tuesday that they want to improve on their de-fense force, which was their undoing in Namibia last weekend. Namibia who lead group two with 3 points will be away to their South African Counterparts Zimbabwe. Kenya's next tie will be next weekend against Zimbabwe here in Nairobi while Guinea will lock horns with Namibia in Windhoek.

Oliech recovers from injury and ready for Guinea
Standard, Thursday, June 5, 2008
By James Waindi

Harambee Stars’ top striker Dennis Oliech has resumed training after an injury he sustained last weekend. The AC Auxerre star striker caused panic among Kenyan football fans when he sat out the Tuesday training with medics attending to him. He sustained a thigh injury last Saturday after colliding with Namibia’s goalkeeper Attiel Mbaha in 80th minute of the qualifying opener in Windhoek in the 2010 World Cup/African Nations Cup qualifier, which Kenya lost 2-1. Oliech said he will play against Guinea’s Syli nationale in Kenya’s second qualifier on Saturday. Oliech, who started training yesterday with the team, said he is set to recover and will take on Guinea on Saturday. "I am recovering well and the pain I experienced on Saturday after the collision has subsided. I will be fully fit for Saturday’s match and I target at least two goals," said Oliech.

Team doctor, Wycliffe Makanga, said the striker was responding to treatment and was at the moment capable of playing 90 minutes. "I have been doing some physiotherapy on Oliech since last evening and also using ice cubes on his thigh. He is responding well to the treatment as he even managed to train today and he would cer-tainly be 100 per cent fit for Guinea’s fixture," said Makanga. Oliech was the most dangerous player against Namibia before he was stretched off in dying minutes and replaced by Francis Ouma. He caused havoc on the Namibian experienced defence of Richard Garriseb and Hartman Toromba and is expected to the same when they host the Syli Stars.

Meanwhile, coach Francis Kimanzi is satisfied with Parma midfielder McDonald Mariga’s form ahead of the crucial match. "After only two training sessions Mariga has showed good form and gelled well with the rest of the team and I believe he will be a major asset for the side on Saturday," said Kimanzi. Mariga who missed the opening match against Namibia last weekend as he was on a tour of Asia with his Italian club Parma, is set to bolster the midfield, which comprised of Titus Mulama and Austin Makacha.

Kimanzi also defended his decision of dropping three players including former regular full back Ibrahim Shikanda, Geoffrey Kokoyo and Kevin Omondi and said the players lacked sportsmanship by complaining about their omission. "Every team has a strategy and the coach is the one who knows the right players he needs at a specific time. Star players like Christiano Ronaldo and even David Beckham have been dropped from their teams in various occasions but you will never see them rush to the media to complain about their coaches decision".

Oliech fit for Guinea 
Kenya Times, Thursday, June 5, 2008
CHARLES THUKU AND TERRY INYIMILI
 
French side AJ Auxerre striker Dennis Oliech has recovered from a thigh injury and is likely to feature for Harambee Stars in the Africa Cup of Nations/World Cup qualifier against Guinea in Nairobi on Saturday.Head coach Francis Kimanzi confirmed that the utility striker has recovered from the injury he picked last weekend in the first qualifying match against Namibia in Windhoek last weekend.

"Dennis (Oliech) has recovered, but the team doctor is still assessing him to ascertain whether he can play the regulation 90 minutes," said Kimanzi at the residential camp in Kasarani yesterday. Oliech’s strike partner Patrick Oboya who also received a knock in the tie against the Brave Warriors has also passed the fitness test. Kimanzi also said Rwanda-based Moses Odhiambo has recuperated from a bout of Malaria and is a probable starter alongside Tanzania’s Simba FC midfielder George Owino. "I’m glad that the players who were either ill or injured have recovered, now I’m the one to decide who to field," said Kimanzi.

Kimanzi who replaced Jacob "Ghost"Mulee as Stars coach will name his starting line-up tomorrow.Stars camp was a full house yesterday with most players expressing confidence that the team will beat Guinea on Satur-day.Team captain Robert Mambo said they have learned from their mistakes in the match against Namibia (which they lost 2-1) and are going flat out to vent their anger on Guinea. "All the players can’t wait to face Syli Nationale. We felt we deserved to win in Windhoek and now want to prove to Kenyans it was just a stroke of ill luck that we lost"said Mambo.

Mambo who alongside Oliech, Kevin "Gaza"Omondi and Titus Mulama exhibited flashes of brilliance during the tie against Namibia had only a few words to tell Kenyans"Pray for us to deliver the desired results"Midfielder Macdonald Mariga of Italian Serie A side Parma was equally confident. "I didn’t play in Windhoek and want to prove my worth in Saturday’s game."Kimanzi hinted that he will stick to the 4-5-1 formation he used in Windhoek."You just can’t change a formation which seems to work. We’ll stick to it and change it if need arises," he said. Kimanzi said he expects a highly physical game given that Guinea have many stocky players.

Referees stranded at airport
Standard, Thursday, June 5, 2008
By Gilbert Wandera and Eric Ochieng’

The four officials to handle the Saturday World Cup/Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Kenya and Guinea were stranded for several hours at the airport. The officials, all from Cameroon, had not acquired visas to enter Kenya, forcing Kenya Football Federation (KFF) officials to help them get the stamps. They touched down at 5am, on Wednesday but by noon they had not left the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport where they were held up by immigration officials. "We are doing our best to have them released. We have been assured they will be given visas so there is no problem," KFF Technical Director Patrick Naggi, said. Naggi said the referees should have got the visas in their country since it was their responsibility to do that before boarding a plane to Nairobi.

Meanwhile, Harambee Stars are in an upbeat mood despite their loss to Namibia last week. The team was in its element during the morning training in Kasarani on Wednesday. The training mood concluded it all that Stars are for nothing but a win over Guinea in their match this weekend. The presence of Macdonald Mariga seems to boost the players’ morale. He is expected to add value to the team that is to meet Zimbabwe in not less than a week after slugging it out with Guinea.

As a clear indication that the team is focused and determined, goalkeepers Arnold Origi, Jacktone Odhiambo and Joseph Ruto extended training to fine-tune as the rest of the team left for their hostels. "Everything is well, there is no problem now," Mariga said as he left the stadium. Oliech, too, was seen fighting his injury so as to get into shape and is soon expected to come over it fully. Meanwhile his sleek Chrysler model vehicle is still turning heads round wherever he goes.

Players should not complain about being axed from Stars
Standard, Thursday, June 5, 2008
By Gilbert Wandera

It was shocking to read the reaction of three players after being dropped from the national team Harambee Stars ahead of Saturday’s World Cup/Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea. The reaction of Ibrahim Shikanda, Geoffrey Kokoyo and Kevin ‘Gazza’ Omondi left me wondering whether the players believed being in the national team was their right. Just to remind the trio, a call-up to national duty is a privilege and the head coach has the right to decide who is capped and who is dropped and players should not take it personal.

When former England manager Steve McClaren took up the Three Lions two years ago one of the players he left out of his squad was the 2006 World Cup captain, David Beckham. The sensational English media then declared that it was the end of an era for Beckham who had then played 94 times for England. In an interview run by BBC, Beckham said: "Having spoken to McClaren I can fully understand that a new manager should want to make his mark on the team and build towards the next World Cup."

Beckham added that he was proud to have put in ten years for England and his passion for representing his country remained as strong as ever. A few months later he was back in the team. Beckham suffered the same fate this year when Italian coach Fabio Capello dropped him from England squad that was to play Switzerland in an international match. Ever the sportsman, he took it in his stride and was rewarded with a recall back to the team to play against France and fulfil his dream of 100 caps for England. Last Saturday, he captained England to a 3-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago, his 102nd appearance for the 1966 world champions.

None of our local players have attained the near iconic status enjoyed by Beckham yet; they cannot take it when coaches tell them they are not good enough to represent the country. Shikanda’s reaction to his shelving was: "I’m gutted by the coach’s statement. He told me to go and put on more mass. It is the worst thing anybody has told me in life. I have a lot of self-belief in my abilities as a defender. I have played for Kenya in all these matches and the issue of height has never arisen." Well said Shikanda, but it appears you are not interested in becoming a better player and cannot stomach your coach’s help to improve. It is evident you have done well in the past. But that is gone and if you want to live in the past, too bad.

The other player’s decision to complain in the public is likely to put them out of favour not only with the present coaches, but also those who handle the team in future. I have believed that some players in the national team do not understand what it means to don the national colours and don’t give their best. Sentiments by the players proved me right. It is becoming evident that coach Kimanzi is probably the right man for the job if only going by the decision he took to drop players he felt were not helpful to the team’s course. Football has become competitive and those who do not perform have no business being considered for national duty. Let us hope to see more of such actions as the qualifiers proceed.

No contract yet for coach Kimanzi
Standard, Thursday, June 5, 2008
By James Waindi And James Maobe

National football team coach Francis Kimanzi is yet to sign a contract for the job. Kimanzi, who took over the mantle from Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee after being endorsed by Kenya Premier League (KPL) coaches, said he has not been told anything by Kenya Football Federation (KFF) officials, but noted that KPL, who gave him the job, promised to settle the matter after the three opening qualifiers. "I hope everything will be settled soon. KPL officials told me the issue of my contract would be settled immediately after the marathon 2010 World Cup and Africa Nations Cup qualifiers," said Kimanzi. Harambee Stars lost 1-2 in Kimanzi’s first assignment last weekend against Namibia in Windhoek and will be hosting Guinea on Saturday at the Nyayo stadium before entertaining Zimbabwe at the same venue on June 14. Kimanzi’s fate is expected to be known after the Zimbabwe match.

But a senior KFF official said Kimanzi will not be fully contracted to handle the national team. KFF Second Vice Chairman, Erastus Okul, said that the federation is going through tough times and that this is not the best time for reviewing such an issue. "Even assembling the team that played Namibia was a great problem which everyone is aware of. I don’t think this is the best time to discuss the tissue of a contract," he said. "The problems we are having in the federation are known throughout the world, when we managed to assemble a good team to play against Namibia everyone was surprised," he said. Okul said that Harambee Stars were the better team by far even though they lost to Namibia. "We will definitely beat them when the come to Nairobi for the return leg," said Okul. "Let us concentrate on helping Stars qualify for the World Cup and not Kimanzi’s contract," he said. He said Kimanzi’s contract would be reviewed when everything is in order.

Fact File: Kenya vs Guinea
www.kenyafootball.com, Thursday, June 5, 2008
By Patrick Korir

Harambee Stars (Kenya) Vs Syli Nationale (Guinea) – Nyayo National Stadium; Saturday 7th June 2008 With the much anticipated tie between Kenya and Guinea this coming Saturday, kenyafootball.com takes you through the past with a look at achievements, rankings and past meetings between the two sides.

Rankings
One thing though is clear; neither Kenya nor Guinea has ever made it to the World. But while Kenya is ranked 115th in the world and 32 in Africa, Guinea is ranked 41st in the World and 7th in Africa (As per May 2008 FIFA Rankings released today)

Kenya Vs guinea: Head to Head
Guinea is no new opponent to Kenya. In the recent past, Kenya has been paired with Guinea thrice during World Cup qualifiers in 1994, 1998 and 2006 (Also a Nations Cup qualifier). The records are crystal; Kenya has lost all its three games away in Conakry conceding eight goals and scoring just once while Guinea has lost two of its encounters in Nairobi – and once drawn (goal-less). Kenya has scored three times against Guinea at home and conceding once. Both wins have been by a goal margin.

1994 World Cup 1994 Qualifiers
In the World Cup 1994 Qualifiers, Kenya was pooled with Guinea in the preliminary round. The first game in Conakry ended 4-0 in favor and the return tie ended 0-0 in Nairobi. Kenya was hence bundled out from any further participation.

1998 World Cup 1994 Qualifiers
After Kenya’s famous 3-2 aggregate over Algeria in 1997, Guinea together with Nigeria and Burkina Faso were the next opponents in Group 1. Guinea beat Kenya 3-1 in Conakry but Kenya overcame that result with a 1-0 win in Nairobi over the then Titi Camara inspired side. Both Kenya and Guinea failed to make it for the World cup as Nigeria clinched the only spot.

2006 World Cup and Nations Cup Qualifiers
Together with Botswana, Morocco, Malawi and Tunisia, Kenya and Guinea were once again paired to fight it out together - this time in Group 5. Kenya beat Guinea 2:1 at Nyayo National stadium after added onto Dennis Oliech’s first half goal. Make shift defender Andrew Oyombe needlessly gave away a penalty that Pascal Fein-douno had no qualms earning an equalizer for Guinea. A fortuitous goal from the then left back Edwin Mkenya gave Kenya the winner but Kenya went on to loose by a single goal in the return tie in Conakry. Tunisia qualified for World Cup (and Nation Cup) after topping the group. Morocco and Guinea claimed the other two Nations Cup slots as Kenya once again remained in the cold after finishing fourth.

Statistics
Beyond qualifiers, Guinea has graced the Nations Cup nine times; 70, 74, 76, 80, 94,98,04,06 and 08. In those nine appearances, guinea has gone on to play 32 games winning ten, drawing and loosing 11 games. Guinea has scored 45 goals and conceded 48 on the way to collecting a total of 31 points in the Nations Cup. Syli Nationale has reached the Quarterfinals, a fete they repeated in 2006 and 2008 while Kenya sat at home. Kenya’s Stats are not as impressive having made it to the Nations Cup five times; 72, 88, 90, 92 and 2004. In the five appearances, Kenya has played 14 games winning just once (in 2004- 3:0 against Burkina Faso) drawing four times and losing nine times. Kenya has conceded a whooping 24 goals in those 14 games and scoring just eight times and earning a total of six points.

Team composition

Undoubtedly Guinea will land in Nairobi and will be looking up to one of Africa’s finest midfielders St. Etienne’s’ Pascal Feindouno for inspiration. The Syli Stars contingent is expected to have no less than seven French based players, another five from Turkey and massive Bobo Balde from Glasgow Celtic. Ismael Bangoura and Mohamed Cisse both based in Moscow will not be missing the party. Dennis Oliech, one of the six players named by the Guardian as the players to watch in the 2004 Nations Cup besides Guinea’s Pascal Feindouno (and another four) is expected to display his Ligue 1 experience. McDonald Mariga of Parma FC who missed the Namibian game is expected to pick a role in that game too and so will be a horde of other players devoid of big league CVs but full of talent and skill. They will all be led by work horse Robert Mambo.

So what rationale, even silly, will Harambee Stars employ to dim the Syli Nationale’s quest for a win in Nairobi? Or will the homeboys be spanked silly and left seeing stars? Buy your tickets early and join the kenyafootball.com crew at the Nyayo National Stadium stands on Saturday to find out . . . . .

Mariga denies four year deal
Standard, Thursday, June 5, 2008
By Robin Toskin

AC Parma midfielder, McDonald Mariga, insists he has not signed a permanent four-year deal with the Italian outfit. He said media reports linking him with the deal are unfounded. "I have not signed any document. I am surprised by the reports," he said. "Parma signed me on a year’s loan deal with the option of buying me permanently from Helsingborgs if I impressed," the Kenyan midfielder said on arrival for their crunch 2010 World Cup/Africa Nations Cup qualifier against Guinea this Saturday. "My agent is on top of the situation and if there was anything he would have said. As far as I know, there is nothing concrete yet and if there should be I will be told," he said.

Mariga said he is happy playing in the Serie A and would like to have more action in the top division after the Gialloblu were relegated at the close of the just ended season. "I enjoyed every bit of the Serie A action and I would relish another season there," he said. Asked if he would remain at Parma now that they will be playing in the lower Serie B, he said: "I am not so keen to play in the lower division. Three clubs have shown interest in me but there is nothing concrete really. The Parma President is not keen to sell players because he wants an immediate return to Serie A," Mariga said without revealing the clubs that have shown interest in him. Mariga started 11 matches for the Crusaders and seven of them as a substitute, most of which came during Argentine Hector Cuper’s brief stint as coach. "I really enjoyed it especially when Cuper was around. He showed faith in me. I believe he had been watching my game all along and he had no problems making use of me on the pitch," Mariga said of the former Valencia coach. Cuper did not last as a string of poor results saw him exit the revolving door.

Mariga had the first training session with Harambee on Tuesday and said he was fired up for the clash against Guinea. "It will require team work though. It is going to be difficult and as you know African football it is really difficult for a player to single-handedly win a match a game for his team. It is very competitive," he said. The midfielder’s crisp pass set up Denis Oliech in Kenya’s 2-1 win over Guinea at Nyayo Stadium on November 17, 2004 during the 2006 World Cup and Africa Nations Cup qualifiers. Kenya lost the return tie 1-0 and Mariga says: "Our erratic shooting let them off in that return leg. We had them on the rails throughout and we should have beaten them squarely." Harambee Stars lost 2-1 to Namibia in the opening tie of Group Two qualifiers of the South Africa/Angola 2010 double header and need to beat Guinea’ Syli Nationale this Saturday and Zimbabwe’s Warriors the following weekend in Nairobi to put themselves on pole position for qualification to the third and final round.

Nationwide League: Unbeaten AC Nakuru regain Zone ‘A’ lead
www.kenyafootball.com, Thursday, June 5, 2008
By Mathews Kameni

Nationwide Zone A side AC Nakuru maintained their unbeaten run in the league when they downed hard fighting Fluorspar in the latter’s home ground on Saturday, a result that enabled them regain Zone A leadership. Fluorspar started strongly taking the game to the visitors but their efforts were thwarted by a mean AC Nakuru defense marshaled by youthful 21 year old Captain David Owino. The turning point in the evenly balanced match came in the 65th minute when AC Nakuru new signing Wilson Andachi found the net with a rising volley after a Joseph Kairu corner was cleared from the area. Andachi who had a great game on his debut could have doubled his tally but could only find the side netting from a difficult angle. Fluorspar pressed hard in the dying minutes but AC Nakuru held on for a vital win which keeps them in the hunt for promotion to the premier league.

In other Zone ‘A’ games one time league leaders Nairobi Stima was spanked 5-1 at home by a mean Strathmore FC to drop further in the standings. Leaders until the weekend Eldoret Mahakama fell by a solitary goal away at Muhoroni Youth while AFC Leopards let a 3-1 with goals from with goals from Ronald Kusimba, Omar Yassin and John Kariuki lead slip at RTI grounds to allow Minicus salvage a 3-3 draw.

In Zone ‘B’, form team Sofapaka remains atop the standings even without kicking a ball at the weekend. The fixtureless side saw its three point cushion remain intact after the nearest challengers KRA had their game against Malindi United in Malindi abandoned in the 55th minute. Magongo Rangers, early headaches for Sofapaka at the onset of the league beat Bidco United 2-0 to move within six points of the leaders.

Administration Police and former Super league side Re-Union drew 0-0 at the Administration Police Training College (APTC) in Embakasi. Both teams displayed brilliant football but it was the Embakasi soldiers who created many chances that went off target. In the absence of Nationwide fixture, Sofapaka had a friendly game against Ismailia combined, a community club they demolished a record 17-0 at the Railways Training Ground.

FIFA ranking: Kenya up five places
www.kenyafootball.com, Thursday, June 5, 2008

Kenya has climbed five places in the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings as released by the World Governing Body this morning. Even though Kenya was defeated by Namibia in a FIFAWorldCup(tm) qualifier last week, the country still managed to improve in its standing following poor performances from higer ranked teams. Namibia itself jumped 13 places to position 116 in the rankings table, following theit 2-1 thrashing of Kenya in Windhoek.

The qualifying matches for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ that are already under way in Asia and Africa have resulted in a number of changes in the top 50 in recent weeks. Australia (35th, up 8) have overtaken Japan (38th, down 1) as the top-ranked Asian team, while Cameroon (13th, up 3) and Egypt (23rd, up 7) are among the most notable African climbers. The biggest movers in the last month are the Philippines (170th, up 19) and Togo (69th, up 17). As a result of the intensive preparations for the upcoming EURO 2008 and the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup, more than 100 international “A” matches have been played in the last few weeks. In fact, up to the beginning of June a total of 347 international “A“ matches have been taken into account in compiling the world ranking for this year.

Internationally, frontrunners Argentina have extended their lead over second-placed Brazil by 46 points. In third place, Italy are already 135 points behind. The upcoming European Championship in Austria and Switzerland is likely to result in some changes in the top spots in the coming weeks. There are no fewer than 11 EURO 2008 participants in the top 20, and they can all hope to improve their positions in the next edition of the world ranking. England, who did not qualify for EURO 2008, have made a strong impression by breaking into the top 10 (9th, up 2). Should Kenya win all their forth coming matches, Kenya would comfortably hit the position 80 mark, taking the country's football profile to greater heights.

Adebayor receives BBC award
BBC, June 4, 2008

Emmanuel Adebayor was presented with the 2007 BBC African Footballer of the Year trophy at a special gala in Lome on Tuesday night. There was great excitement ahead of the function, which was held at one of Lome's top hotels. Togo's sports minister Antoine Folly presented Adebayor with one of the most prestigious awards in African sport. "I'm greatly honoured to be given this award in front of my people," Adebayor told BBC Sport. "I hope it will show my people that when you work hard, you will realise your dreams. I want to thank the fans for voting for me as the BBC's best player of 2007. It means a lot. All these years when I have been working hard - today I have been rewarded." As well as the hundreds of people inside the venue, there were around a thousand fans outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of their idol.

One of Adebayor's many fans turned up for the function with his body painted in tribute to the star. On his chest was emblazoned in French the message: "You are carrying the flame of the nation." The Arsenal and Togo striker earned almost 42 per cent of the public vote for the award. He beat Didier Drogba of the Ivory Coast into second place with Ghana's Michael Essien finishing third. Previous winners of the BBC award include Essien and fellow Ghanaian Sammy Kufuor, Mohamed Barakat of Egypt, Senegal's El Hadji Diouf, and Nigeria's Jay-Jay Okocha.

Liberia Minister says safety action needed on stadium
BBC, June 4, 2008

Liberia's sports minister has told BBC Sport that action will be taken to stop a repeat of the stadium tragedy which killed ten people on Sunday. Overcrowding in the Samuel K Doe stadium, as well as extreme heat, are being blamed for the deaths. The tragedy happened hours before Liberia's 1-1 draw with Gambia in a 2010 World Cup qualifying match. Eyewitnesses said security staff were taking tickets from people already in the ground and selling them outside.

Edmonia David-Tarpeh, Liberia's Minister of Youth and Sports, believes that stronger ticketing arrangements are essential. "We are putting in measures so that if you don't have a seat assigned on your ticket you will not be allowed to enter," she said. "There will be people who will escort you to your seat, and if there's another person in that seat then somebody had a copy of the ticket. We will make sure that we have tickets that will not be easy to be duplicated." She suggested that alternative viewing arrangements might be planned to try and tackle the problem of overcrowding. "We can see how we can put up some viewing stations around, so that people can have access to see the game without actually being in the compound," she said. Football's world governing body FIFA and the Confederation of African Football are both carrying out investigations into the deaths.