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Sofapaka boss Elly Kalekwa is super confident his charges will easily dispense Naivas over the two-legged FKFPL promotion/relegation playoff to maintain their topflight status for next season.
Sofapaka President Elly Kalekwa has expressed his unwavering determination to ensure that the club retains its status in the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League.
Batoto ba Mungu will face a critical challenge when they go up against National Super League (NSL) outfit Naivas FC in the FKFPL/NSL promotion/relegation playoffs, which will decide who competes in the top flight next season.
Sofapaka found themselves in this precarious position after finishing 16th in the league, just two spots above the relegation zone. They ended the season with 36 points, narrowly avoiding automatic relegation, which saw Muhoroni Youth and Nzoia Sugar demoted to the lower division.
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21:00 - 30.06.2024
Naivas seal promotion playoff with Sofapaka as Kajiado relegated to Division One
In a day where Mara Sugar were coronated as NSL champions, Naivas FC secured a playoff spot for FKF Premier League promotion.
Naivas FC, on the other hand, finished third in the NSL with 76 points from 38 matches, narrowly missing out on automatic promotion. The top two spots were claimed by Mara Sugar, the league winners with 84 points, and Mathare United, who finished second with 82 points.
The crucial playoff matches are scheduled, with the first leg set for Saturday, July 6, 2024 at the Police Sacco Stadium, and the return leg on Sunday, July 14, 2024. Despite the pressure, Kalekwa remains confident that Sofapaka will prevail and secure their place in the FKF Premier League.
Admitting that Sofapaka should have performed better to avoid this situation, Kalekwa is resolute in his belief that they will overcome Naivas.
“Sofapaka belongs in the FKF Premier League, and that is where we will play in the new season, there is no doubt about it," he told Flashscore. "We know we don’t deserve to be among the teams fighting to avoid relegation, but we started off badly this season. We still have time to redeem ourselves and come back stronger."
Kalekwa dismissed any notion of underrating Naivas but emphasized his confidence in Sofapaka's ability to stay up.
"We will do our job against Naivas. It is not that I am underrating them, but the fact remains that we will stay up after the playoffs. I want to assure our fans that Sofapaka will not go anywhere or get relegated. We will play in the top flight for as long as we can."
Since their promotion in 2009, a season in which they made history by becoming the first team to win the league title in their debut campaign, Sofapaka has enjoyed 15 uninterrupted years of top-flight football, winning several domestic titles along the way.
Kalekwa is unfazed as Sofapaka prepares for the showdown with Naivas.
“Do you think I can lose sleep or be afraid because of playing against Naivas?” he questioned. “That is a small matter that my team is going to handle. We will overcome it soon. By the end of the return leg, we will be the ones celebrating and focusing on the new season.”
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