Football Kenya Federation Cup champions Kenya Police are targeting the Caf Confederation Cup group stage, Chief Executive Officer Chris Oguso has said.
It will be the law enforcers' debut in continental football and ambitious Oguso wants to break the jinx after Kenyan clubs failed to crack the group stages for the last six years.
“To be sincere, we were ready for Caf football two years ago. It has been our dream and we are happy to have achieved it. We will now adjust our budget to accommodate our sisters Police Bullets, who won the Women’s Premier League in their maiden season. They will now feature in the Champions League playoffs,” said Oguso.
The experienced football administrator became the first CEO to win a domestic double. Bullets finished the season unbeaten.
Saturday’s 8-7 post-match penalties win over KCB — after playing to a 0-0 draw in regulation time — came two weeks after the FKF’s First Instance Body (FIB) granted Police FC their licence to feature in continental competitions.
Police were cleared alongside KPL champions Gor Mahia, Tusker and KCB. Oguso said they worked on their structures early to avoid Gor Mahia’s fate earlier this season when they were locked out of the Caf Champions League.
“We have a formidable team led by our patron, Internal Security Principal Secretary, Raymond Omollo. I want to congratulate him alongside coaches, players, fans and everyone else who played a part in our success,” added Oguso.
The cops, nicknamed ‘Police Saint Germain’, will beef up the squad as they chase Gor Mahia’s feat from 2018.
The acquisition of a team bus, delivered by Omollo last week, is just the beginning of their preparations for the season ahead.
“That was a refurbished one. We will unveil two brand new buses in the next four months. We want to ensure comfort when travelling for away matches. President William Ruto promised us Sh150m and our patron Omolo will follow up to ensure Police Sacco Stadium gets a major facelift. Police Sacco has promised to fund the construction of a perimeter wall,” said Oguso.
He praised captain Musa Mohammed and the veterans in the team who provided discipline and stability in a successful season.
“We were mocked that we signed old players but the results are now evident. We have already noted areas to beef up and we will avail finances to ensure our head coaches, Salim Babu and Beldine Odemba, continue fighting for titles and continental success,” he concluded.