Youthful Kariobangi Sharks Primed For Landmark Everton Clash

2nd May 2019 - by Louis Kalinga

The historic game, organised through the SportPesa partnership, will take place on Sunday, 7 July (kick off TBC) at the Kasarani Stadium, Nairobi

SUMMARY

SportPesa Cup winners Kariobangi Sharks FC are raring at the opportunity to take on nine-time English champions Everton FC after the date was announced on Thursday morning
This will be Everton’s second visit to Africa following their 2017 trip to Dar es Saalam, Tanzania where they took on inaugural SportPesa Super Cup winners Gor Mahia FC in a game the Toffees won 2-1
The steady rising Sharks won three trophies between October last year and January 27 when they beat fellow SportPesa Premier League (SPL) side Bandari FC 1-0 at the National Stadium in Dar, to earn the right to face Everton FC

NAIROBI, Kenya- SportPesa Cup winners Kariobangi Sharks FC are raring to go at the opportunity to take on nine-time English champions Everton FC after the date was announced on Thursday morning.

The historic game, organised through the SportPesapartnership, will take place on Sunday, 7 July (kick off TBC) at the KasaraniStadium, Nairobi.

This will be Everton’s second visit to Africa following their 2017 trip to Dar es Saalam, Tanzania where they took on inaugural SportPesa Super Cup winners Gor Mahia FC in a game the Toffees won 2-1.

The steady rising Sharks won three trophies between October last year and January 27 when they beat fellow SportPesa Premier League (SPL) side Bandari FC 1-0 at the National Stadium in Dar, to earn the right to face Everton FC.

“We are really excited that we finally have a date for the match against Everton FC. We have all been waiting for this moment.

“The entire club has been anticipating this game since we earned the right to play against an English club and we are more than ready for them,” Sharks captain Eric Juma told SportPesa News shortly after the announcement.

Sharks become the first club to host an English Premier League side on Kenyan soil and the momentous occasion has the billing to be one of the most watched games in the country's history.

The last time the Kasarani Stadium was filled to its capacity was in May 2018 when record Kenyan league winners Gor Mahia FC hosted English Championship side Hull City FC.

The exhibition match ended in a 0-0 draw, forcing a penalty shootout which Nigel Adkins side edged 4-3.

“This is a great opportunity for us as a team and for the country as a whole, both to weigh our football knowledge and to let the world know that there is a team called Sharks who are capable.

“I urge all fans to turn up in large numbers and show their support. This is not about just Everton or Sharks, it’s for football in Africa,” Juma underlined.

The match comes at a time when both the SPL and the EPL will be on their summer break, giving ample time for Sharks to prepare and focus on the gargantuan task that lies ahead of them.

The William Muluya coached side will be carrying the weight of the country on their shoulders as they seek to register a good result against a team that is miles ahead of them.

“Now that the date has been announced, it’s a good thing because it helps with preparation.

“The league will be over and due to the many injuries we have, first team members will have healed and will be ready for the game,” Muluya stated.

“As a club it’s history in the making. We will forever go down in history that we once played and hosted Everton.

“For my players it will be great for them to get their names out there, its perfect exposure.

“There is no pressure for us in the game and all we need to do is make it an entertaining match, we owe that to all the fans who will be in attendance,” he underlined.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president, Nick Mwendwa, noted the high profile friendly would act as a good shop window for the SportPesa Shield winners to prove their talent against Everton that has been a mainstay of the English Premier League.

"It's a fantastic thing and it will give the boys a chance to expose their talent. It's a good game for Sharks to play. When we started the club, we wanted the team to play at the highest level and this friendly is a step in that direction.

"It will help our player show their talent to the world and we hope some can go on and play teams such as Everton. It will also mean much for the Kariobangi community to see their own share a pitch with such an established international club," Mwendwa who took over Sharks in the early 2000s and saw it rise from the fourth tier of the country's football into a Premier League club told SportPesa News.

The FKF boss relinquished leadership of the team when he took over the national office in the elections held in February 2016 when he ousted Sam Nyamweya.