AFC Leopards have been dealt a major blow after defender Tedian Esilaba was ruled out of action for the rest of the season following knee surgery.
Esilaba picked a nasty injury in his second appearance for the club during a Football Kenya Federation Premier League encounter against Kakamega Homeboyz at Bukhungu Stadium, Kakamega.
Before the unfortunate incident, Esilaba's exceptional performance in the Leopards' defence had endeared him to the technical bench.
Esilaba penned a deal with 13-time national champions at a time their tactician, Patrick Aussems, had major concerns about the quality of his charges in defence.
The development, which worsens the existing defensive woes at the club, comes exactly a day after world football governing body, FIFA, imposed a transfer ban on Leopards over their failure to offset Sh1.8 million dues owed to Rwandan midfielder Vincent Habamahoro.
This effectively prohibits Ingwe from signing players for the next two transfer windows.