AFC Leopards head coach Fred Ambani is bullish that his side will bounce back to winning ways once the 2025/26 SportPesa Premier League resumes after the seven-day mourning period for former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) on Wednesday announced a suspension of all league fixtures this weekend in honour of the national mourning period declared by President William Ruto.
Ingwe currently sit 15th on the log with just three points from their opening three matches, a slow start that Ambani insists will soon turn around.
Leopards kicked off their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Sofapaka, with Satala Djafari drawing first blood for Batoto ba Mungu before Boniface Munyendo restored parity.
They followed that up with a 2-2 stalemate against Nairobi City Stars, thanks to strikes from Kelly Madada and Samuel Ssenyonjo.
Their latest outing ended in a goalless draw with Bandari at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, on Wednesday afternoon.
After a winless run to start the season, Ambani urged fans to remain calm as the team works to turn the tide. “Our fans have been patient with us, and we still call on them to keep that faith. We promise them things will get better,” Ambani said.
“We are hoping for a win in our next game to give our fans the victory they’ve been waiting for.”
Reflecting on the stalemate against Bandari, Ambani admitted the team’s tactical experiment didn’t pay off. “We came with a different formation in the first half, one we had not played before. We were testing it, but it did not work out, so we reverted to our usual setup,” he explained.
The Ingwe tactician admitted that the team must return to the drawing board to start grinding out results. “We are not happy with the draw. This is our third consecutive stalemate, and that’s not good enough. We have been struggling to secure wins, and it has not been easy,” he noted.
Ambani said the decision to tweak tactics stemmed from frustration over their recent results. “The last two matches haven’t gone our way, so we tried a new system to get that first win,” he said.
Despite the frustration, Ambani praised his players for their improved second-half performance. “We played poorly in the first half and struggled a lot, but the boys came out strongly after the break. We were a real threat, though we lacked the finishing touch,” he added.
After the League resumes, Leopards will lock horns with second-placed Shabana FC.
Meanwhile, Bandari head coach Mohammed Borji, who took charge of his first match for the Dockers, said his focus now shifts to fine-tuning his squad.
“This was my first game, and AFC Leopards are a strong side. We will go back to training and sharpen up,” Borji said.
