AFC Leopards head coach Ivan Minnaert in a past SPL match-PHOTO/RAYMOND MAKHAYA
NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 18- Thirteen-time Kenyan Premier League champions AFC Leopards suffered their biggest loss in seven years after going down 4-1 to Kakamega Homeboyz last weekend at the Mumias Complex.
The last time AFC suffered such a loss was in July 2009 against Sofapaka and it was only the fourth time since 2009 they conceded four goals in one match, having suffered replicate 4-2 losses at the hands of Tusker and Sofapaka in 2010.
Head coach Ivan Minnaert has however chosen to quickly forget the humiliation and focus on bouncing back in a big way when they play Nairobi City Stars on Saturday at the Afraha Stadium in Nakuru.
“We need to think a lot and review some things,” the coach told Capital Sport ahead of their trip to Nakuru this weekend.
Ingwe were whacked by Mike Mururi’s boys on the backdrop of a fatigue filled week, having had an unnecessary trip to Tanzania for a friendly with Simba SC in between travels for GOtv Shield and league matches in Mumias.
But the coach remains optimistic they will give a good account of themselves this weekend and bounce back to winning ways.
“It was crazy because Homeboyz made goals out of our own mistakes and we had a good game and chances to score. We need to get back and ensure this weekend we get a win,” Minnaert said, with his side dwindling on the possibility of missing out on a top eight finish.
They are placed 10th on the KPL standings with 28 points, three off eighth placed Western Stima.
They will desperately need a win against a City Stars side that crucially needs points to hinge them on a possibility of another relegation surviving season.
Meanwhile, Minnaert has spoken of an elleged spat with striker Kepha Aswani.
A Facebook post on the striker’s official account last weekend did the rounds on social media, the striker allegedly saying he was quitting the team as he was not being preferred in the starting team despite coming off the bench and scoring.
Aswani later came out to say his account was hacked and that he wasn’t thinking about quitting.
“I have talked to him before and told him when starting, he is struggling to score. For me, I don’t chose my starting team based on what they say; I choose my team according to their work in training. This is what I tell them,” Minnaert said.
Heading into the weekend match in Nakuru, the team will be without striker Mungai Kiongera who picked an ankle injury in the loss to Homeboyz last weekend. Jackson Saleh has not yet recovered from a knee problem and will be an absentee as well.
