Marked for Eugene Wethuli
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad20 Sep 2027
94 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Market20 Sep 2027
Nir Ohayon hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Sofapaka can pretend not to have heard.
Match18 Sep 2027
Still nobody has beaten Sofapaka
The unbeaten run reaches 7. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Barou Sanogo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings20 Sep 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad20 Sep 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad13 Sep 2027
Barou Sanogo in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sofapaka this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match11 Sep 2027
Still nobody has beaten Sofapaka
The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad13 Sep 2027
The manager makes an example of Eugene Wethuli
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings13 Sep 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 18 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings13 Sep 2027
Marked 7.44 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Sofapaka had the best player on the pitch.
Player ratings13 Sep 2027
Successful dribbles: 12. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match11 Sep 2027
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Bidco United defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Market13 Sep 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sofapaka know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market13 Sep 2027
The clock runs on Cois Artomoro's contract
11 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market6 Sep 2027
Joseph Mwangi hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Sofapaka can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom6 Sep 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Sofapaka
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market6 Sep 2027
The bid was some way short and Sofapaka did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Barou Sanogo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match4 Sep 2027
A 2‑1 win over Kariobangi Sharks, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings6 Sep 2027
A performance of 8.35 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings6 Sep 2027
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Boardroom6 Sep 2027
110% of the income goes out in wages at Sofapaka
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Boardroom6 Sep 2027
The numbers do not look good at Sofapaka
Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings30 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad30 Aug 2027
Barou Sanogo in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sofapaka this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad30 Aug 2027
No place for Reuben Otieno on the big day
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Sofapaka pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
Player ratings30 Aug 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 17 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings30 Aug 2027
A mark of 7.59, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.
Squad30 Aug 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to John Ndirangu, and the manager let it.
Market30 Aug 2027
Sofapaka have let the market know Eugene Wethuli can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
Squad30 Aug 2027
Eugene Wethuli knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Eugene Wethuli trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Match28 Aug 2027
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Mara Sugar came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market16 Aug 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Player ratings16 Aug 2027
Defensive actions: 28, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad16 Aug 2027
Barou Sanogo in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sofapaka this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings16 Aug 2027
Defensive actions: 21, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Match14 Aug 2027
It finished 1‑0, and it was Eugene Wethuli’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Sofapaka.
Squad16 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Reuben Otieno
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings16 Aug 2027
A defender's afternoon for Barou Sanogo
Defensive actions: 19. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad16 Aug 2027
George Amonoo asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market16 Aug 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sofapaka know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match7 Aug 2027
The wait goes on for Sofapaka
9 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market9 Aug 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market9 Aug 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Barou Sanogo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings9 Aug 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.85, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad9 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Eugene Wethuli
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings9 Aug 2027
There was no pressure on him and nowhere he had to be. Sofapaka lost a goal to a decision that took half a second and will be discussed all week.
Match7 Aug 2027
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Player ratings9 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 14. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match24 Jul 2027
No end in sight to Sofapaka's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Sofapaka has to find a result from somewhere.
Market26 Jul 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Meshack Omukhulu: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Sofapaka have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Barou Sanogo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad26 Jul 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to David Nshimirimana, and the manager let it.
Match24 Jul 2027
APS Bomet left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings26 Jul 2027
Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Loan watch26 Jul 2027
“I did not go to Kariobangi Sharks to sit and watch. I want to come back to Sofapaka and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
Player ratings26 Jul 2027
Marked 5.40, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match17 Jul 2027
No end in sight to Sofapaka's wait for a win
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Sofapaka has to find a result from somewhere.
Market19 Jul 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Player ratings19 Jul 2027
Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Barou Sanogo in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sofapaka this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match17 Jul 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Victor Augo gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Eugene Wethuli knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sofapaka, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market19 Jul 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sofapaka know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Player ratings19 Jul 2027
Marked 5.79, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Jul 2027
AS Korofina come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Sofapaka did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Match10 Jul 2027
No end in sight to Sofapaka's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Sofapaka has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Barou Sanogo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market12 Jul 2027
Michael Nyakeya has left for Mara Sugar in a $6.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Squad12 Jul 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom12 Jul 2027
Wages eat 115% of everything Sofapaka earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Player ratings12 Jul 2027
Marked 7.65 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Sofapaka had the best player on the pitch.
Player ratings12 Jul 2027
Defensive actions: 16, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Player ratings12 Jul 2027
Successful dribbles: 13. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match3 Jul 2027
4 matches without a win for Sofapaka
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Sofapaka are no longer polite ones.
Squad5 Jul 2027
Barou Sanogo in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sofapaka this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match3 Jul 2027
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad5 Jul 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings5 Jul 2027
Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market5 Jul 2027
No place for Edwin Lutta in the plan
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Edwin Lutta has his answer from Sofapaka; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
Player ratings5 Jul 2027
Shots: 9, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Player ratings5 Jul 2027
5.76 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
Squad5 Jul 2027
Japheth Lihanda asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market14 Jun 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad14 Jun 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Market14 Jun 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Sofapaka is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Barou Sanogo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings14 Jun 2027
Defensive actions: 19, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Boardroom14 Jun 2027
126% of the income goes out in wages at Sofapaka
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Player ratings14 Jun 2027
Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.67 on the card, and the Sofapaka support went home talking about one name.
Player ratings14 Jun 2027
Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Aineah Ndete gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad31 May 2027
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Match29 May 2027
No end in sight to Sofapaka's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Sofapaka has to find a result from somewhere.
Market31 May 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Sofapaka is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad31 May 2027
Sammy Kiplangat: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Sofapaka have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad31 May 2027
Barou Sanogo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad31 May 2027
The manager makes an example of Barou Sanogo
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings31 May 2027
Defensive actions: 19. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings31 May 2027
Defensive actions: 17. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings31 May 2027
Defensive actions: 14, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market17 May 2027
Stallone Asaba has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Sofapaka they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad17 May 2027
Barou Sanogo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match15 May 2027
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings17 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings17 May 2027
A performance of 8.58 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Boardroom17 May 2027
Wages eat 135% of everything Sofapaka earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Squad17 May 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad17 May 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sofapaka, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market17 May 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sofapaka know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match5 May 2027
The small margins put Sofapaka out
Out, 0‑0 to Muranga Seal, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.
Squad10 May 2027
Victor Augo is the hero from the spot
A shoot-out is remembered by its ending, and this one ends with Victor Augo: 1 kept out, and a set of supporters who will describe every one of them for the next twenty years.
Market10 May 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Sofapaka is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad10 May 2027
Barou Sanogo in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sofapaka this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings10 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match8 May 2027
Kariobangi Sharks left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad10 May 2027
The manager makes an example of Brian Olang'o
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings10 May 2027
Twelve yards, a goalkeeper guessing, and it still did not go in. He will take the next one, and every soul in the ground will hold their breath.
Player ratings10 May 2027
Marked 7.62 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Sofapaka had the best player on the pitch.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market3 May 2027
Levian Ochieng has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Sofapaka they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad3 May 2027
Barou Sanogo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings3 May 2027
Marked 9.37 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Match1 May 2027
Three points for Sofapaka, 2‑1 the final word against Mara Sugar in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings3 May 2027
Marked 8.15 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings3 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad3 May 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Iddrisu Shaibu, and the manager let it.
Squad3 May 2027
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Sofapaka have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Squad3 May 2027
Clifton Miheso unhappy with how he is being used
Asked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Clifton Miheso has let it be known that he does not like the way Sofapaka are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces19 Apr 2027
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 7 of the 33 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Squad19 Apr 2027
The medical room confirms 27 days on the sidelines for Barou Sanogo, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market19 Apr 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Sofapaka is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Barou Sanogo in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sofapaka this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match17 Apr 2027
0‑1 to Shabana, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad19 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Joseph Mwangi
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Boardroom19 Apr 2027
Wages eat 96% of everything Sofapaka earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
Shots: 5, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match10 Apr 2027
Still nobody has beaten Sofapaka
The unbeaten run reaches 13. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
Defensive actions: 24, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Market12 Apr 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Sofapaka is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Barou Sanogo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
A defender's afternoon for Duncan Otieno
Defensive actions: 20. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Match10 Apr 2027
It finished 1‑0, and it was Eugene Wethuli’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Sofapaka.
Squad12 Apr 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Sebastian Ikekhai, and the manager let it.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
Marked 7.86 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Sofapaka had the best player on the pitch.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 14. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match3 Apr 2027
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 12 matches without defeat is a foundation Sofapaka did not have in the autumn.
Market5 Apr 2027
Only the photograph left for Levian Ochieng
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Levian Ochieng will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Sofapaka the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Match3 Apr 2027
4 matches without a win for Sofapaka
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Sofapaka are no longer polite ones.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Barou Sanogo in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sofapaka this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad5 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Eugene Wethuli
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings5 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad5 Apr 2027
The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Sofapaka have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.
Player ratings5 Apr 2027
A mark of 7.85, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.
Player ratings5 Apr 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 15 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match27 Mar 2027
Still nobody has beaten Sofapaka
The unbeaten run reaches 11. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Market29 Mar 2027
Finlay Sanduku has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Sofapaka they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Barou Sanogo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
Marked 7.71 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Sofapaka had the best player on the pitch.
Match27 Mar 2027
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad29 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Felix Mulyungi, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match13 Mar 2027
Still nobody has beaten Sofapaka
The unbeaten run reaches 9. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 25. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market15 Mar 2027
Only the photograph left for Jacob Addis
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Jacob Addis will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Sofapaka the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Barou Sanogo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad15 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Japheth Lihanda
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.73 on the card, and the Sofapaka support went home talking about one name.
Match13 Mar 2027
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad15 Mar 2027
“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.
Squad15 Mar 2027
At 30 he has made the position his own, and the man he took it from has to find something to say about it. Sofapaka have a decision that made itself.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market8 Mar 2027
Levian Ochieng has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Sofapaka they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Match6 Mar 2027
Still nobody has beaten Sofapaka
The unbeaten run reaches 8. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Barou Sanogo and Sofapaka agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Barou Sanogo in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sofapaka this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match6 Mar 2027
A 2‑1 win over Kakamega Homeboyz, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad8 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Brian Olang'o
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
A performance of 8.46 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
Marked 8.39 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Duncan Otieno asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market1 Feb 2027
The phone has started ringing about Eugene Wethuli again, and this time the name on the line is AS Bakaridjan. Sofapaka are listening politely and promising nothing.
Market1 Feb 2027
Only the photograph left for Finlay Sanduku
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Finlay Sanduku will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Sofapaka the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Barou Sanogo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad1 Feb 2027
The medical room confirms 15 days on the sidelines for Ikhsan Zikrak, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad1 Feb 2027
The medical room confirms 17 days on the sidelines for Maqbul Ochola, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad1 Feb 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Sebastian Ikekhai trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market18 Jan 2027
Sofapaka say no — this time
The offer from AS Bakaridjan for Eugene Wethuli was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Market18 Jan 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Sofapaka is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Barou Sanogo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad18 Jan 2027
14 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Market18 Jan 2027
Business is business: Brian Marani goes
Bidco United paid $54.0K and Sofapaka took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad12 Oct 2026
Barou Sanogo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad12 Oct 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Brian Olang'o knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Brian Olang'o trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match19 Sep 2026
6 matches without a win for Sofapaka
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Sofapaka are no longer polite ones.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 25 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Barou Sanogo in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sofapaka this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad21 Sep 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Marked 7.55 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Sofapaka had the best player on the pitch.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Defensive actions: 14. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Match19 Sep 2026
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Muranga Seal came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 11. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market21 Sep 2026
The name of David King'atua keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sofapaka say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad17 Aug 2026
Barou Sanogo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match15 Aug 2026
Shabana left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Marked 5.27, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
Squad17 Aug 2026
A season on the outside for Barou Sanogo
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Sofapaka has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
Market17 Aug 2026
Sofapaka have made Levian Ochieng available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad10 Aug 2026
Barou Sanogo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Defensive actions: 22, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Match8 Aug 2026
Gor Mahia made Sofapaka work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Defensive actions: 19. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad10 Aug 2026
This league is too small for Barou Sanogo
He is doing things on a Saturday afternoon that nobody around him can answer, which is flattering for about one season and a problem after that. Sofapaka will not keep him by pretending otherwise.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.86 on the card, and the Sofapaka support went home talking about one name.
Market10 Aug 2026
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Sofapaka, another week without a signature from Levis Ochieng.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad3 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” David Nshimirimana and Sofapaka agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad3 Aug 2026
David Nshimirimana was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match1 Aug 2026
Bandari left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad3 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Eugene Wethuli
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market3 Aug 2026
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
Market3 Aug 2026
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Levian Ochieng has his answer from Sofapaka; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
Market3 Aug 2026
Still no offer on the table, and Douglas Ochoko’s deal keeps shrinking. In boardroom language, silence this long stops being an oversight and starts being an answer.
Squad3 Aug 2026
At 18 years old, Adrian Oloo became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.