This Weekend's English Premier League Fixtures

Below are the fixtures for all the matches to be played this weekend in the English Premier League; in Kenyan time.

Saturday 28th February 2015

West Ham United Vs Crystal Palace 3.45pm

West Brom Vs Southampton 6.00pm

This Weekend's English Premier League Fixtures

Image Credit | Game Yetu Sports Blog

Below are the fixtures slotted fro this weekend's English Premier League. (In Kenyan time).

21st February 2015

Sunderland Vs West Brom 4.00pm

Swansea City Vs Manchester United  4.00pm

FA Cup Latest Results: Preston 1-3 Manchester United

Ander Herrera celebrating United's first goal | Image credit - AFP / Getty Images

Manchester United advanced to the quarter finals of this year's FA Cup in style, lynching Preston Football Club 3-1 away at Preston's Stadium. 

Manchester United went down 0-1 after thirty minutes of play, but thereafter, goals from Ander Herera,  Marouane Fellaini, and a penalty kick which was successfully converted by Wayne Rooney, ensured that Van Gaal's boys advance to the semi finals of the FA cup.

EPL Weekday Match Results And Latest EPL Table Standing

Results For Matches played on Wednesday, 11th Feb 2014

Crystal Palace 1-1 Newcastle United

West Brom 2-0 Swansea City

Southampton 0-0 Everton

Chelsea 1-0 Everton

Manchester united 3-1 Burnley

Stoke City 1-4 Manchester City 

Results For Matches played on Tuesday 10th Feb 2014

This Weekend's English Premier League Games / Fixtures

Image Credit | Game Yetu Sports Blog

Below are the fixtures for the English Premier League matches slotted for this weekend. The times indicated for each fixture is Kenyan time.

Saturday 7th Feb 2015

Tottenham Hotspurs Vs Arsenal 3.45pm

Aston Villa Vs Chelsea 6.00pm

AFCON 2015 Finals : Ivory Coast Vs Ghana

Its time for dance | Image courtesy of AFP/Getty Images

After weathering the bottle throwing Equatorial Guinea fans, the Ghanaian Football team booked itself a spot in the Finals of this year’s AFCON 2015, where they will be playing Ivory Coast. 

The Ivorians successfully qualified after defeating DR Congo side 3-1 in a match played at Bata Stadium.

The Equatorial Guinea Supporters Took The African Continent Back To More Than 3 Decades

Anti Riot Police Moves in To Contain Rowdy E.Guinea Supporters | Courtesy of AFP/Getty Images

After being humiliated to a 3-0 defeat at Malabo Stadium, in the hands of a rejuvenated Ghanaian outfit, a section of Equatorial Guinea fans who were angered by the results of ongoing match embarked on throwing plastic bottles and cans at the visiting Ghanaian fans, and at the pitch. 

AFCON 2015 LATEST UPDATE: Ivory Coast 3-1 DR Congo, Ghana Vs Equatorial Guinea

Yaya Toure Celebrating His Opening Goal | Courtesy of AFP/Getty Images

Ivory Coast is the first team to qualify for the finals of 2015 Africa Cup Of Nations. Ivory Coast shrugged off a well oiled DR Congo side by beating them 3-1 in the first AFCON 2015 semi finals match played at Bata Stadium, in Equatorial Guinea.

Yaya Toure; the sensational Manchester City midfielder opened the scoring for Ivory Coast through a bullet shot, only for DR Congo to equalize within a minute from start of play. Thereafter, Ivory Coast scored two more goals through Gervinho and Kanon.

Who Stole Gor Mahia's Milk?

Dan Sserunkuma In A Past Match | Courtesy Of Michezo Kenya

The past non-renewal of a sponsorship deal from milk producers; Tuzo, may be a lost lucrative opportunity to Gor Mahia Football Club. But is it really worthy of winning over by any or both parties? Through the media, the company justified its reasons for pulling out of the deal, in what it referred to as a change in its marketing strategy. And just like any other company out there, they would commit to working with what suits their marketing strategy. After all, they are in business.

To Gor Mahia, this is a perfect opportunity for Club to take stock of its performance over the years, and re-commit to continue to focusing more on winning the Kenyan Premier League title, as this would be the sure way to conserve its prestige, and to continuously exhibit itself one of the successful clubs; not only in Kenya, but also in the region.

Are Gor Mahia Fans Really Hooligans?

Football games aren’t supposed to be a solemn gathering. It is a competition that is meant to be fun and at the same time entertaining. Anyway, why would anyone give out his/her hard earned cash, only to go and confine himself/herself in any football stadium in the name of watching a football match? It beats any viable logic.

World over, Football Clubs have very minimal roles in controlling the conduct of their fans. Interestingly, there isn’t any recognized formal register, to clearly identify all supporters of any football club. Mostly, being a supporter of any football club is a mere existence in the thought or mind of any such person.

The way citizens of any given country behaves, is mostly, a factor of their environment. Interestingly, not all Gor Mahia fans reside within the same environment, to try to justify a common behavior. Therefore, any insinuation that Gor Mahia fans may be rowdy and more specifically, hooligans may be a perfect creation of other unsuccessful clubs or persons, envious of Ko’galo’s success.

However, truth be told, there are some few lost elements, who continue to infiltrate Gor Mahia’s fan base, and has continually posed as mountains to any meaningful progresses that other club’s supporters would wish for the Club. And the best way to deal with such characters is through adoption of Fans Tano Initiative; where just like the Government’s Famous Nuyumba Kumi Initiative, every fans should get to know at least Five supporters, seated around him/her, during any Gor Mahia game Encounter. Maybe, this might bring an end to the now infamous ghost supports, who frequently disrupt peaceful environments, whenever Gor Mahia plays.

It's Time For The Leopard To Cleanse It's Den

AFC Leopards Logo | Courtesy Of AFC Leopards

As one of the most successful clubs in East and Central Africa, AFC Leopards may be slowly fading its spots, if the recent performance of the Club in the Kenyan Premier League could be anything to factor into account. It'\s hard to believe that the Leopards finished outside the the top four in the last KPL season.

Truth be told, AFC Leopards is currently one of the best Kenyan Football Clubs that has all the envy of any other football club: 

• Committed Sponsorship
• The best football players.
• Massive Fan Support.

What else can any club be in need of? However, even against such enviable provisions to AFC Leopards, it appears that the engine of the club may be back spinning, and it is time for the Leopard to cleanse its den, and put its house in order. It may not be easy for the club to lose its fan support base; however, it may easily loose the interest of future club sponsors and the best football players that are currently in its fold, if they fail to improve on their fortunes in the KPL.

If there is anything that the Club’s Management must do to restore the Club to its known glorious days, then it’s time to do it fast, and more importantly, to do it right . It’s time for Ingwe to cleanse its den, and I am afraid that if they delay, then the world might not give them a second chance.

The Missing Stars In Our National 'Harambee' Football Team.

Stars Shining At Night | Courtesy of Pixabay.com

It is not only saddening, but equally heartbreaking for the ever supportive Kenyan football lovers whenever the National Team takes to the field for any serious football encounter. The end results have always been that: they either played so well but were finally beaten, or they just managed to salvage a draw.

If Gor Mahia football club had been able to win the African Football clubs championship over the years, then we must ask ourselves about who stole the Stars in our National Football Team.  What really went wrong over the years? Where did the rain start beating us from?

Our National football team is almost literally into 'a Harambee Team': There are always elaborate  plans towards D-Days of serious matches to source for funds from both public and private sectors, while putting little or no consideration into laying long term structures that may fully support the National Team. I may sound pessimistic, but we need to get out of this filthy dungeon. Yes we have waited for far too long. Our patience has outgrown into full blown ulcers. Our National Football Team players should not be reduced to football tourists across the African continent!

Lets help our Harambee football team find their missing Stars. But How?

• The Management of the National Team should create an open public door policy where they invite public opinion on the way forward. In a country where almost every one is a sports specialist, I am sure that they will get good public feedback that may effectively,  help turn around the fortunes of the National Football Team.

• The Jubilee Government promised state of the art stadiums around the country. The management of the National Team should partner with the Government to ensure that this is a reality. Good playing fields and training facilities helps in minimizing life threatening player injuries which often push the best football talents out of the scenes.

• Let’s be willing to pay the price. Players, Staffs and other relevant football stakeholders should be competitively rewarded. Other forms of rewards should be encouraged and practised more often, ie recommending players, staffs and other relevant football stake holders for government appointments or even offering scholarships or tourist related trips to some of the best performances in a given football season.

• The management of National Team should embrace the use of football scouts. We more often hire coaches under strict deadlines and give them limited time to put together a compatible football squad.  These coaches end up relying on the same player choices and line ups of their predecessors.

• Let’s use the winning strategy of Gor Mahia in the Nelson Mandela Cup as a case study for the National Team. We will always be Kenya and should not try to be like Brazil or England or any other football team. What worked for Gor Mahia should, without any difficulty work out for Harambee Stars. What is working out for football gurus like Spain may not effectively work out for our Harambee Stars.

• Lastly, but not least, all the football stake holders should borrow a leaf from Bees. Though tiny and without world class tools and equipments, Bees make honey. The world’s sweetest  food.  They first prepare a honey comb before preparing the real honey. They do this through commitment and coordination. Everyone knows their role and takes seriously, any responsibilities endowed on them. Cases of player misconducts, and or even Coach-Player bad relations should be discarded to the dustbin of history. Everyone should be committed and made to set their eyes on the ultimate prize of glory. Untill Harambee Stars  taste any glory, they will never know what they have been missing.

Let’s all join hands in helping our Harambee Football Team find their missing Stars. It Begins with You. Just play your part

AFC Leopards 2015 New Player Kits

AFC Leopards 2015 Kits : Courtesy Of AFC Leopards

AFC Leopards Club has officially released new player kits for  the year 2015.

The new player kits for 2015 were unveiled after the club secured a shirt sponsorship deal with Edge Sports, on an agreement that Edge Sports will be managing the sale of replica shirts.

 

Below are the kits for the club's home and away matches in the year 2015

Kits For Home Matches | Courtesy Of AFC Leopards

Kits for away matches | Courtesy Of AFC Leopards

Facts First:- Divock Origi Isn't Kenyan Born. And His Father, Mike Okoth, Was Born In Muranga

Image Credit: Pixabay.com

The sensational Divock Origi, the son of former Harambee Stars top striker Mike Okoth, alias Mike Origi, roused many emotions in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, by scoring a solitary goal which propelled his country, Belgium, into the second stage of the World Cup tournament.

Even to date, a number of Kenyan's still wonder why the sensational Origi could not be offered a chance to play for Harambee Stars, thereby freely releasing him to be readily available for the Belgium national team. Well, that is now water under the bridge.

Due to Divok's outstanding performance at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the internet went a buzz with many football pundits and analysts referring to him as a 'Kenyan born'. Surprisingly, the true fact is that Divock Origi was never born in Kenya. He was born and raised in Osted, in Belgium, where his father was trading his football skills. Interestingly, his father, Mike Okoth was born in Muranga, Kenya, around the year 1967, and not in the Nyanza region as many have all along believed.

Now You Know.