NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 4 – With the news that Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) is set to switch off their sponsorship towards sports, Western Stima head coach Salim Babu has admitted that it has been tough to maintain the players’ morale for the remainder of the season.
Stima have endured a torrid second leg since their sponsors announced an intention to pull the plug on their cash flow.
“It is very hard sometimes to motivate the players but at the end of the day that is my work and it is also their work because they are footballers. We are trying to cope with the situation because there have been too many worries. We are trying to stay afloat as a team because it has happened and there is very little we can do,” the coach told Capital Sport.
He added; “The players have been disturbed in their minds
and you can see from the results. We started the season very well but now we
have been struggling since the second leg began. Now we have to try and focus
to finish the season well.”
Western Stima, Nairobi Stima and Coast Stima are set to bear the brunt of the end in sponsorship and as at now, there has not been a way forward drawn by the clubs.
KPLC was reported to have made a loss of almost 92pc and with the company re-aligning its priorities, sports will definitely bear the biggest brunt of budget cuts.
Babu has admitted to Capital Sport that if the news had been broken before the transfer window closed, most of the players would have left.
“We have very good players and I am certain that most would have found new teams. It is tough but we will just try. We want to finish the season well and then see what the future holds for us,” Babu further intimated.
Stima are placed seventh on the Kenyan Premier League standings with 33 points, and their top flight status is all but confirmed.
But, the tactician now wants the players to give their all in order to finish better as they still have a good chance at pushing for the top five.
Reflecting back at the weekend loss to Gor Mahia, the tactician was left dismayed by the performance of keeper John Naju and some defenders and has vowed not to play them again.
“I don’t think he (Njau) will start again. Not just him but also some players in the team who have been making very silly errorsin the past games. We were down 3-0 within 12 minutes and if you look at the goals we were conceding, they were not ordinary goals,” the tactician lamented.
Stima take on Posta Rangers in their next game at the Bukhungu Complex on Saturday and Babu will hope for an improved performance from his charges.
