Hockey: Kenya Police duo head to Germany
Kenya Police's Robert Masibo leads his teammates on the pitch during their Africa Club Championship match against Hippos of Zimbabwe on February 13, 2023 at Dasmesh Stadium, Sikh Union Ground.
What you need to know:
- Police coach Patrick Mugambi said they will miss the services of the duo as they seek to reclaim the title they last won in 2017.
- “They are integral players whose absence will be felt. We have been forced to work extra hard whenever they are out of the country and sometimes we lose matches we shouldn’t have. And by the time they come back, sometimes it’s already late for a title chase.
Kenya Police duo of Robert Masibo and Willis Okeyo left the country on Sunday morning for Germany for month-long professional stints.
Okeyo, a midfielder, will rejoin VfB Stuttgart, while defender Masibo, son Blazers' long-serving defender Terry Juma and former Kenyan international Fredrick Masibo, will join Hebron hockey team.
Stuttgart play in the Regional liga-the fourth-highest level, while Hebron compete in the inter-varsity conferences. The duo featured in Police's opening two matches of this season's Kenya Hockey Union men’s Premier League.
They played to a 1-1 draw against Wazalendo Hockey Club, before they forced a 2-1 win over Greensharks. Police are set to play Sailors Sunday evening and face national champions Butali Sugar Warriors next Sunday at the City Park.
Police coach Patrick Mugambi said they will miss the services of the duo as they seek to reclaim the title they last won in 2017.
“They are integral players whose absence will be felt. We have been forced to work extra hard whenever they are out of the country and sometimes we lose matches we shouldn’t have. And by the time they come back, sometimes it’s already late for a title chase.
But this does not demean the remaining players' capability. This time around we want to turn things around,” said Mugambi after guiding Police to win the Vaisakhi International Hockey Tournament title at the Sikh Union Club on Saturday.
“We have Fidelis Omondi from Impala and Brian Kiptoom from the Kenya College of Accountancy University (KCA-U) and they are good additional to the team and we hope that they fill the gap that has been left by the two key players,” he added.
Police beat Western Jaguars 3-2 in the final. Mugambi said the season looks competitive and the status quo might be challenged when the season comes to an end.
“We have three youthful teams that play technical and fast game. Strathmore University, Wazalendo and Western Jaguars are the teams to look out for. They have what it takes to cause an upset,” said Mugambi.
“We lack depth and we just have to work with what we have. We have not employed players for a while now and most civilians we have brought on board survive on allowances, something that has derailed us to prosper. Somethings would be different if we had chance to employ,” said Mugambi.
