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In a show of support for Qatar’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup 2022, the Kenyan football team FC Kenya has been participating in different football games organised in Qatar--from Qatar Community Football League (QCFL) and Ramadan Cup to African Nations Cups, besides other friendly matches since the team was founded in 2011.
Perhaps one of the significant engagements of the team has been participation in the QCFL tourneys organised by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.
Team Manager, John Ngurugwe, told “Qatar Tribune” that even though the team lost 3-0 against Elite in the Qatar Community Football Cup at Golf Club recently, it managed to reach the quarter-finals.
Currently, FC Kenya is placed seventh in the QCFL (2018/2019) which kicked off in October last year. The team will have played 22 matches by the end of the season. This is the third time that FC Kenya team is taking part in QCFL.
“We are at number 7 among 12 teams, and this year we are in a better position compared with last year when we were number 10.”
Ngurugwe said that this improvement is attributed to the intensive training that the team has been undergoing with their coaches in the last couple of months. “We train two times a week--Thursday evenings and Friday mornings.”
However, he said, the team keeps recruiting new members to fill the places left vacant by those departing. “One of the challenges of the team is that some of the members leave Qatar, others take long vacations. It is difficult to keep the same number but we have enough players during the matches.”
Currently, the team has around 60 members.
The team will take part in the Ramadan Cup as well as the African Nations Cup organised by the African embassies in Doha.
Talking about what motivate the members, Ngurugwe said that they are passionate about football. “They really love the game.”
Besides, as great fans of soccer, they support various football teams, for instance, those in the English Premier League, Kenyan Premier Leagues and others. “We always have something to talk about when it comes to football.”
Ngurugwe said that besides football, the team members also meet during social events.
Talking about the plans for the group, he said that they plan to improve their play so that they could win the QCFL Cup and league in the future. “We have seen improvement over the years.”
He said that taking part in the QCFL matches has helped the team get prepared for the upcoming Ramadan Cup and the African Nations Cup and it’s looking forward to reaching the final.
Ngurugwe thanked the Supreme Committee for giving them a chance to be part of the QCFL. “Without their support, we cannot afford to play in the world-class stadiums and pitches like we do. We cannot also afford such professional referees.”
He also thanked the Embassy of the Republic of Kenya for its continued support.
The chairman of the team, Athman Hamisi said that the team’s play has improved compared with its performances in previous years thanks to the support they receive from the Kenyan embassy. He added, “Now they have enough players compared with the previous years. Before, it the matches were organised late, we would not have enough players because some of the players have different work shifts which would make it difficult for the team to prepare well and compete.”
Hamisi said the players are motivated to play because they find a platform to come together, socialise with other team members as well as offers them a chance to keep fit.
He was all praise for the discipline and dedication shown by the team members. “A majority of them turn up for training despite the training sessions being held early on Friday mornings. They are seen to be making an effort to come for the training which is really encouraging.”
Hamisi said that those willing to join could approach them directly though there is a procedure that needs to be followed.
Perhaps one of the significant engagements of the team has been participation in the QCFL tourneys organised by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.
Team Manager, John Ngurugwe, told “Qatar Tribune” that even though the team lost 3-0 against Elite in the Qatar Community Football Cup at Golf Club recently, it managed to reach the quarter-finals.
Currently, FC Kenya is placed seventh in the QCFL (2018/2019) which kicked off in October last year. The team will have played 22 matches by the end of the season. This is the third time that FC Kenya team is taking part in QCFL.
“We are at number 7 among 12 teams, and this year we are in a better position compared with last year when we were number 10.”
Ngurugwe said that this improvement is attributed to the intensive training that the team has been undergoing with their coaches in the last couple of months. “We train two times a week--Thursday evenings and Friday mornings.”
However, he said, the team keeps recruiting new members to fill the places left vacant by those departing. “One of the challenges of the team is that some of the members leave Qatar, others take long vacations. It is difficult to keep the same number but we have enough players during the matches.”
Currently, the team has around 60 members.
The team will take part in the Ramadan Cup as well as the African Nations Cup organised by the African embassies in Doha.
Talking about what motivate the members, Ngurugwe said that they are passionate about football. “They really love the game.”
Besides, as great fans of soccer, they support various football teams, for instance, those in the English Premier League, Kenyan Premier Leagues and others. “We always have something to talk about when it comes to football.”
Ngurugwe said that besides football, the team members also meet during social events.
Talking about the plans for the group, he said that they plan to improve their play so that they could win the QCFL Cup and league in the future. “We have seen improvement over the years.”
He said that taking part in the QCFL matches has helped the team get prepared for the upcoming Ramadan Cup and the African Nations Cup and it’s looking forward to reaching the final.
Ngurugwe thanked the Supreme Committee for giving them a chance to be part of the QCFL. “Without their support, we cannot afford to play in the world-class stadiums and pitches like we do. We cannot also afford such professional referees.”
He also thanked the Embassy of the Republic of Kenya for its continued support.
The chairman of the team, Athman Hamisi said that the team’s play has improved compared with its performances in previous years thanks to the support they receive from the Kenyan embassy. He added, “Now they have enough players compared with the previous years. Before, it the matches were organised late, we would not have enough players because some of the players have different work shifts which would make it difficult for the team to prepare well and compete.”
Hamisi said the players are motivated to play because they find a platform to come together, socialise with other team members as well as offers them a chance to keep fit.
He was all praise for the discipline and dedication shown by the team members. “A majority of them turn up for training despite the training sessions being held early on Friday mornings. They are seen to be making an effort to come for the training which is really encouraging.”
Hamisi said that those willing to join could approach them directly though there is a procedure that needs to be followed.
