Two Kenyan teams face an acid test against traditional continental giants in the second preliminary rounds of the Caf Champions League and the Caf Confederation Cup respectively.
Kenya Police FC assistant coach Anthony 'Modo' Kimani believes his charges possess the mojo to stun their more fancied Egyptian opponents Zamalek FC in the second preliminary round of the Caf Confederation Cup.
The Law Enforcers will flex muscles with Zamalek at Nyayo Stadium on September 14 before their reverse fixture in Cairo a week later.
In an interview, Kimani tipped the Kenyan representatives to thrive against the North African side that boasts two Caf Confederation Cup titles won in 2019 and 2023.
"Zamalek are a good side with quality players. They have bagged two titles and we expect a tough opposition. But the thought of meeting them is not causing us any sleepless nights. It's a side we can easily manage," he said.
He added: "They are not invincible. You do recall they lost to Gor Mahia by a big margin in 2019. We can also easily cruise past them with determination."
Multiple Kenyan Premier League champions, Gor Mahia, will flex muscles with Egyptian behemoths Al Ahly who boast 14 titles in the Caf Champions League.
Gor Mahia skipper Philemon Otieno reckons they have what it takes to relive their 1987 glory when they won the Mandela Cup.
"We are in good form and I believe we will try our best to register positive results," he said.
But there are some bad memories K'Ogalo would quickly wish to forget about their encounters with Egyptian clubs which are known to employ deceitful tactics against their opponents.
Former Gor Mahia FC skipper Austin Oduor remembers an ugly incident they experienced against an Egyptian club.
“When we qualified for the 1984 Africa Champions Cup after winning the national league title in 1983, there were heightened expectations from the Len Julians-led side," Oduor said in an exclusive interview.
"We faced Tanzania mainland champions Young Africans (Yanga) in the opening round and held them to a one-all draw in Dar es Salaam," he added.
Gor Mahia won the return leg at Nyayo Stadium 1-0 and faced Egyptian giants Zamalek.
"Abbas Magongo tackled an Egyptian player. Despite being fouled outside the box, the player rolled into the penalty box and the Sudanese referee awarded a penalty," Oduor recalls.
"We were angry with the referee who we thought was openly biased. After the disputed penalty was awarded, the referee red-carded Magongo."
Gor Mahia players lost it and George Otieno Solo and Abbey Nassur roughed up the referee as Abdalla Shebe and coach Julians dashed into the field to intervene. George Onyango was accused of assaulting a policeman.
"The referee claimed his hand was broken and abandoned the match. Gor Mahia were disqualified and Zamalek proceeded to the next round. Six Gor Mahia players and coach Julians were suspended from Caf matches for two years. Gor Mahia were also suspended from Caf tournaments for two years," Oduor said.
"Our appeal was rejected by the Caf Organising Committee which claimed that the appeal was time-barred. Zamalek went on to win the title."
