What Playing Everton In Nairobi Really Means For Kariobangi Sharks

6th May 2019 - by Mutwiri Mutuota

Following the announcement of the landmark friendly on July 7, SportPesa Shield winners have the best opportunity to market their brand and players

HAIL THE NEW KINGS: Kariobangi Sharks FC players lift the 2019 SportPesa Cup trophy following their 1-0 victory over fellow SPL side Bandari FC at the National Main Stadium, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania on January 27, 2019. PHOTO/SPN

SUMMARY

At the helm of the dream was current Football Kenya Federation president, Nick Mwendwa, who believed Sharks could emulate and one day surpass the achievement of another famous slum side, Mathare United FC
With the Shield still to play for, the season has not yet been written off for the domestic cup holders who could still end the campaign by becoming only the fourth team in Kenyan history to successfully defend the Shield
Above all, the huge media interest that will be whipped up by the game and Everton tour will attract international talent scouts to Nairobi and who knows, one or a few of Sharks players could earn their dream moves or get invited for trials

NAIROBI, Kenya- The date has been set and the countdown to the biggest game in Kariobangi Sharks FC history thus far when they host English side Everton FC on July 7 is officially on.

When the club changed ownership and founded in its present form in 2000, the vision of turning the team from the backwaters of the crime-infested Kariobangi low-income estate in the Kenyan capital Nairobi to a football powerhouse is almost complete.

At the helm of the dream was current Football Kenya Federation president, Nick Mwendwa, who believed Sharks could emulate and one day surpass the achievement of another famous slum side, Mathare United FC.

The youth of the sprawling neighbouring Kariobangi and Mathare estates share a lot in common, including collapsing infrastructure, drug abuse, high unemployment and organised crime.

However, amid the mess, the two estates stand as hotbeds of football talent and in the late 90s, Mathare United made headlines when they won the Moi Golden Cup (now SportPesa Shield) while still in the second division when they fell the then giants, Eldoret KCC 2-1 at Kasarani.

That led to the clamour to have the team promoted to the top flight and 10 years later in 2008, Mathare won their first and only league title.

Similar trajectory

It is a similar trajectory that the founders of Sharks envisioned and last year, having win bronze in the 2016 and silver in the 2017 finals of the domestic cup, Sharks finally lifted their first trophy when they beat three-time champions, Sofapaka FC 3-2 at Kasarani.

That saw Sharks land an invite to play in the 2019 SportPesa Cup knockout tournament in Tanzania for the second year in a row where on January 27, they stopped fellow SportPesa Premier League (SPL) side, Bandari FC to win the title that brought with it the big chance to play Everton in Nairobi.

The game was confirmed last week by the English Premier League side that will start their 2019/20 pre-season schedule at Kasarani on their first ever visit to the country.

“When we founded the club, the aim was to expose talent from the area to the wider stage and playing Everton will give the players the chance to be seen and hopefully, some will get an opportunity to shine abroad,” Mwendwa who relinquished control of Sharks when he became FKF boss in February 2016 observed.

Whatever the result, playing Everton will be another feather in the expanding list of achievements of a team that has risen from obscurity to mix it with the big boys of Kenyan football.

Kariobangi Sharks FC players celebrate a goal in a SportPesa Premier Match at the MISC, Kasarani. PHOTO/Kariobangi Sharks

Finish third

Promoted to the top division at the end of 2016, the team has gone on to establish itself as one of the more potent SportPesa Premier League sides after their life at the apex of domestic club football started with three straight loses.

Coached by William ‘Kanu’ Muluya, one of the young bright coaching stars in the country, Sharks stormed to finish third in the 2017 log behind champions Gor Mahia FC and Sofapaka before they lost 0-2 to AFC Leopards SC in the final of the Shield.

Last season, the side crashed out at the quarterfinals of the SportPesa Cup by going down 2-3 on penalties to Tanzanian giants, Yanga SC in Nakuru, finished sixth in the 2018 SPL and qualified for the CAF Confederations Cup for the very first time by lifting the Shield.

Ghanaian giants, Asante Kotoko then eliminated them from the Confed Cup first round 2-1 on aggregate before Muluya and his team put together a dream run to the SportPesa Cup title in Dar-es-Salaam.

Sharks upset Yanga 3-2 in the last eight before knocking out Tanzanian dark horses Mbao FC 6-5 on post-match penalties in a marathon shootout to make the decider where Harrison Mwendwa’s winner propelled them to the crown.

League form

Beset by injuries to key players, Sharks league form has slumped this term, with the team currently placed 10th on 35 points, 25 adrift of log leaders and crown holders Gor whom they succeeded as SportPesa Cup champions.

With the Shield still to play for, the season has not yet been written off for the domestic cup holders who could still end the campaign by becoming only the fourth team in Kenyan history to successfully defend the Shield.

The last side to hold on to the domestic trophy was Gor who won three successive editions from 1986 to 1988.

So, what does it mean for Sharks and indeed Kenyan football as a whole to play Everton in Nairobi?

First, sharing a pitch with players who ply their trade in what is widely acknowledged as the best league in the world will act as a big motivation for the local lads, some of whom travelled outside the country for the first time when Sharks played Arta/Solar7 in Djibouti in the qualifying rounds of the Confed Cup last December.

Testing their skills against seasoned internationals and Everton stars such as Richarlison (Brazil), Theo Walcott (England), Gylfi Sigurdsson (Iceland) and Jordan Pickford (England) would give them a clear picture of where they stand in the football ladder.

Speaking after his team lost 0-4 to Everton at Goodison Park last year, Gor captain, Harun Shakava noted the whole experience taught them, “What is needed for a player to succeed at the top and how a club should be run.”

“It was a good performance by the team but credit to Gor for coming here and taking this golden opportunity by the horns.

“For most part of the game it was 2-0 to us and they conceded two late goals. This is definitely going to be a learning experience for the Kenyan side,” former Manchester United midfielder and France international, Morgan Schneiderlin said at the time.

Having struggled to attract fans outside Kariobangi, a good performance against Everton could endear Sharks to a wider local football public since such games rally fans together in a show of patriotism.

Best supported

Gor experienced that on May 13, last year when they hosted English second tier side Hull City FC at Kasarani in an international friendly that ended 3-4 in favour of the visitors after a 0-0 draw in regulation.

Despite the fact the SPL champions are the best supported team in the land, the numbers they pulled at the biggest football theatre in the country have not been matched since and therefore, an opening for Sharks to endear themselves more to more fans on July 7 exists.

Above all, the huge media interest that will be whipped up by the game and Everton tour will attract international talent scouts to Nairobi and who knows, one or a few of Sharks players could earn their dream moves or get invited for trials.

Whichever way the result falls, this is one opportunity Sharks should grab by the horns.

Gor Mahia FC captain, Harun Shakava (right) tries to shield the ball from Everton FC attacker, Keiran Dowell during their SportPesa Trophy clash at Goodison Park on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. PHOTO/SPN