Mwatate United FC chairman James Okoyo has warned National Super League clubs that his team will not be pushovers next season.
Mwatate FC were promoted to NSL last week following the cancellation of 2019-2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. “Our target is to play in NSL for one season. We want to win the NSL and get promoted to the Kenya Premier League,” said the ambitious Okoyo.
He added: “I have a very good team with talented and hardworking players. We want to be the first team from Taita Taveta County to play in the Kenya Premier League.”
He further revealed that they intend to strengthen the team by signing eight players. “NSL is a very competitive league with experienced teams. We have to get new players who have NSL experience then head for a serious pre-season immediately the coronavirus pandemic is contained,” he stated.
Okoyo hopes the team, which is sponsored by Teita Estate Limited, will use their Wundanyi Stadium home ground. “Our Governor Granton Samboja has asked the contractor working on the perimeter wall to expedite the works. We hope it will be completed by the time the FKF team comes to inspect the facility. I’m 80 per cent sure we will use our home ground,” he added.
He said their promotion by FKF to the second tier league was not by sheer luck. “By the time the league was indefinitely suspended, we were leading the second-placed team by seven points and the gap was widening,” he asserted.
FKF CEO Barry Otieno declared Mwatate United the FKF Division One League Zone A champions using first leg results.
Mwatate had 33 points followed by MCF, who will play Soy in a playoff to determine the third team to join Mwatate and Silibwet in the NSL.
