Kariobangi Legends FC Chairman Erick Sunga has expressed confidence in his team’s ability to conquer the Division Two Eastern Zone in their first season at this level.
Speaking exclusively to Pepeta, Sunga laid out the club’s ambitious plans, discussed new signings, and set high expectations for the campaign.
“Our main objective is promotion to Division 1,” Sunga said. “Kariobangi Legends is the home of champions, and we’ve instilled that mentality in our players. We expect to win and get promoted. Nothing less than a promotion will be acceptable, and everyone here knows that. We know it will be tough, just as we faced challenges in the regional league, but this is a club of champions, and we expect to be promoted.”
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Sunga emphasized the importance of making their home ground a fortress, pointing to their success in the regional league as a model for this season.
“We’ve realized that the best way to be competitive is to collect maximum points at home. Just as we did in the regional league, we plan to replicate that strategy here. We aim to win all our home games and avoid any losses,” he added.
Addressing the club’s decision to release several players, which stirred some controversy among the fans, Sunga was clear that the move was based on performance and the need to build a stronger squad for the new challenge ahead.
“We’ve released seven players, and the fans need to understand that we played 43 matches on our journey to becoming regional champions coming into Division 2 we’ll have less number of games. We’ve been with these boys, and the statistics don’t lie. Players were released based on how they performed when given game time, and this was done in consultation with the coaches.
“We’re moving into a new league, and players need to step up. This also creates space for new signings from our Kariobangi community, who we will unveil soon, we’ve not released them in bad faith some are being sent on loan for playing time and we’ll still be taking care of them” Sunga explained.
The club has also undergone a coaching change, parting ways with Geoffrey Wangalwa, who led the team to promotion. Kariobangi Legends is now set to appoint former Harambee Stars midfielder Osborne Monday as the new head coach. Sunga shared insights into the selection process and why Monday was chosen.
“We received four applications for the head coach position: Osborne Monday, James Otieno ‘Odijo’ from Githurai, Njugush from Huruma, and James Mwangi from Laikipia. We settled on Osborne Monday because of his extensive experience in football and management. He’s an ex-international with a lot of ambition, and we’re stepping into a higher level that requires such expertise. We believe his leadership will guide us to success in Division 2,” Sunga stated.
The club is already in its second week of pre-season ahead of the Division 2 fixtures release.
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