MERU, Kenya, Apr 7 – Al Azizia and Black Panther are the champions of the second edition of the Betika Meru Football Challenge after emerging as winners in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively, in the final played at a packed Kinoru Stadium on Sunday.
Following their triumphs, the two teams took home Ksh1 million each, while the first and second runners-up were awarded Ksh 500,000 and Ksh 250,000 each, respectively, for both men and women.
The Majengo-based Al Azizia stamped their dominance in the men’s final with a commanding 4-0 victory over defending champions Mitunguu United.
Goals from Kennedy Onyango, Wilfred Guatai, Marcas Abagala, and Michael Kiarie sealed the emphatic win, earning the team a Ksh 1 million cash prize and bragging rights as Meru’s finest.
In the women’s final, Black Panther played to a 1-1 draw with Young Starlets in regular time.
Wendy Gaichugi opened the scoring for Young Starlets 35 minutes in the game before Talia Wambui equalized for Panther four minutes later.
Black Panther went on to win 3-0 on post-match penalties.
Betika Brand Manager Eric Mwiti said: “It was very encouraging seeing Kinoru Stadium packed yet again as fans came out in large numbers to support their teams. They fought hard to pick wins in very competitive matches, which says a lot about the talent level and competition on display.”
He added, “This was the second time that we were doing this challenge following a successful first edition last year, and we are happy it was such a success and aligns with our motive to impact on communities.”
Tulivu FC beat KEMU FC 4-3 in the men’s third-place playoff, while Flamingo FC won 2-0 against Gachanka Queens to finish third among women.
The Meru Football Challenge is an annual tournament held in Meru County under the Betika na Community initiative with the purpose of identifying, promoting, and nurturing talent within the region.
Just like in the first edition, a total of 48 teams were involved this time around, where 32 teams featured in the men’s tournament and 16 took part in the women’s competition from the preliminary stages to the knockouts.
All teams participating in the competition were fully kitted and provided with balls.
Focus now turns to the national finals of the Betika BingwaFest set for Kisumu from April 15th to April 20th.
Al Azizia and Gachanka Queens are set to represent the Mountain Region following their wins in the regional finals held at Kinoru Stadium in February this year.
