Its a shame to play our CAF matches outside Mombasa- Mwalala

Bandari FC head coach Bernard Mwalala aimed a dig at the Mombasa County government for failing to deliver an international stadium  seven years since the advent of devolution.

A seemingly infuriated tactician termed the decision of Bandari playing their continental football next season outside Mombasa due to lack of a standard facility that meets CAF guidelines as ‘shameful’.

Bandari fans have been left heartbroken by the news as playing away from Mombasa will deny most of them a chance to watch their stars in continental action.

Speaking to Citizen Digital, Mwalala said: “You look places like Machakos where football is not dominating but they have a standard stadium. You call yourself the number one county in the country but you can’t have such a facility,” he fumed.

“It’s now high time for the county government to look at this because it’s not adding up; we are from Mombasa but we cannot host our home matches in the region,”a visibly agitated Mwalala said.

Bandari booked a CAF Confederation Cup ticket after a splendid performance in the Shield Cup final beating Kariobangi Sharks 3-1 to win the trophy.

Upgrading Mbaraki Sports Club which is Bandari’s home ground would seemingly be difficult especially now that the club will be using it for the 2019/2020season which kicks off in August.

Furthermore, Confederation of African Football (CAF) cannot approve Mbaraki to host any international matches in its current state.

Another consideration was the Mombasa Municipal Stadium but painfully the ground is still closed due to its poor state with the much talked about renovation failing to take shape.

“Mombasa is a city and it’s well known even to some European countries, go to England, go to Spain, wherever, those guys know Mombasa and it’s a surprise that we cannot host our home matches,” added Mwalala.

Bandari has been putting on stellar performances in recent years, finishing second in the league for two successive seasons catching the attention of team patron Daniel Manduku who has promised to reward the dockers with a new bus for their away matches from next season, also directing the management to review the players’ salaries before the 2019/2020 season kicks off.

The steps are aimed at boosting the morale of the players ahead of the new campaign when they are expected to challenge for the elusive Kenyan Premier League title.

 

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Bandari Mombasa Bernard Mwalala Stadium CAF matches

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