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The record league champions lost by a solitary goal to URA FC in a dramatic match on the final day of the season when a win would have been enough to seal a first league title in 19 years.
Former SC Villa forward Maurice Sunguti has shared his 'disappointment and optimism' after his former team narrowly missed out on the 2022/2023 StarTimes Uganda Premier League title on Saturday.
The record league champions lost by a solitary goal to URA FC in a dramatic match on the final day of the season when a win would have been enough to seal a first league title in 19 years.
"I was invited to the game by the Villa management but could not make it owing to logistical issues," explained Sunguti, also a former Kenya international.
"So, I had to follow the proceedings on the ex-SC Villa player's Whatsapp group."
"The title was there for the taking, but we did not have enough to finish the job; it could have been the pressure to deliver. It is disappointing."
Sugunti added: "But I am optimistic because the impressive season is what the team can build up on to challenge Vipers and KCCA FC next season."
"They must build the team around that Mutyaba boy to have a fighting chance."
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14:18 - 28.05.2023
FOOTBALL Tycoon Mandela sets high SC Villa expectations for next season
Mandela, who was chairman the last time Villa lifted the title has backed the club's young side to make a title charge next season.
Now retired as a footballer, Sunguti enjoyed a successful three-year stint at Villa between 2001 and 2003, winning the league and Kakungulu Cup titles.
His stellar career also led him to feature for AFC Leopards and Tusker in his homeland, as well as Tanzania's Young Africans, Nam Dinh (Vietnam), and Friska Vilijor (Sweden).
Sunguti, who holds a Caf 'C' coaching licence, now owns and runs a football academy in Nairobi dubbed Syokimau Academy which trains children aged between 7 and 16 years.
The academy's U17 team has registered to compete in the Machakos County league in the 2023/2024 league season. The league is the fifth tier of Kenyan football.
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