AFC Leopards captain Robinson Kamura believes their much-anticipated return to Nyayo Stadium for their home matches will be an inspiration as they seek to a two-decade Kenyan Premier League title drought.
Leopards last won the league in 1998 and Kamura reckons that staging their home matches at the refurbished facility and the support from management and fans will rekindle their bravery.
From the time the facility was closed three years ago, Leopards resulted to playing their home matches at the Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos County and Bukhungu Stadium in Kakamega County.
Kamura spoke after receiving Sh300 000 donation from football enthusiast Eliud Owalo.
He was accompanied by teammates Maxwell Mulili, Jaffari Owiti and members of the executive and technical bench.
The centre half said with the government set to open the stadium for use in the near future, the club will reap big in terms of support from fans thanks to its proximity.
"There are a host of things which motivates a player on match days and playing at home is one of them. Gauging by the past years, playing at Nyayo has been like a ritual and the results have been commendable. The stadium is accessible to our fans whom I believe will motivate us to start winning the trophies," said the defender.
The former Mathare United star added. "The new office is operating in a professional way and it's a plus for the players. Every team plays to win the title and for us to make the difference, we have to press the gas pedal from the onset. The fans are positive and we have to work hard and deliver the trophy and return to the continental scene."
Meanwhile, the Harambee Stars defender revealed that the club will need at least six to seven weeks of pre-season training to sharpen their claws. He regretted that the break brought by the coronavirus pandemic had closed the financial taps of majority of players whom he challenged to look beyond football to make ends meet.
"It has been tough for footballers especially those who solely depend on it for a living. We need at least six to seven weeks of intense training to prepare us for the new season. It will be a different pre-season since we have been off action for more than four months but the only advantage is that the challenge cuts across hence all teams will start from the same level," he observed.
