Mbao Hot Shot Striker Khamis Puts Gor On SportPesa Cup Notice

DAR-ES-SALAAM, Tanzania- Every tournament has an underdog and for the 2019 SportPesa Cup, Mbao FC qualify to carry that tag as they feature for the first time ever in the invitational eight-team knockout competition that kicks off Tuesday week (January 22) in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

Despite enjoying home advantage of sorts, the Mwanza-based Tanzania Premier League (TPL) side were thrown to the deep end when they were drawn to face two-time SP Cup champions, Gor Mahia FC in the third quarterfinal on January 23, starting at 2pm (+3GMT) local time.

It will be third time in a row for Gor to feature in a Biblical ‘David vs Goliath’ style quarters having easily silenced Jang’ombe Boys FC (2-0) and Jeshi La Kujenga Uchumi SCZ FC (3-0)- both from Zanzibar- in the opening rounds of the 2017 and 18 tournaments in that order.

However, Mbao FC star striker, Said Khamis, has promised the record Kenyan league winners he is fired up to rattle their net as he hailed his team’s willingness to pickpocket the holders and topple them from their crown at best or give them an almighty scare if their quality proves to be too much.

Individual ability

“We have a good side since a football team is a sum of its parts, not individual ability. Without my teammates, I would not get the amount of goals I score and due to the strength of our understanding as a squad, I believe I will hit the target,” Khamis declared.

Mbao shocked Dar giants Simba SC when they travelled to Mwanza for their TPL matches with Khamis netting the winner from the spot to give his side a 1-0 victory over the champions on September 28 last year.

With an appetite of scoring against the giants, the forward who is all the rave in Tanzania sees the SP Cup as the platform to showcase his abilities to a wider audience and shining against K’Ogalo will go a long way in achieving that.

Beyond the SportPesa Premier League leaders, Khamis is dreaming of winning the tournament to get the chance of playing against English Premier League side, Everton FC who will be hosted by the 2019 SP Cup champions later this year.

“It would be so important to me since it is an easy way to show our talent to the world. Playing a team from abroad like Everton specifically exposes you to an international audience with top football agents monitoring such games,” Khamis explained.

“Despite our status as the underdogs, we have prepared well for this tournament and do not fear any opponent since this is a competition where we shall start on equal footing.

Growing feeling

“We are motivated to show Tanzanians we are capable of punching above our weight and achieving something in such a tournament,” he cautioned.

Mbao are sixth in the TPL standings on 30 points from 21 games having won seven, drawn nine and lost five as they continue proving to be tough side to beat.

They edged Stand United 2-1 in their weekend encounter and face fellow SP Cup campaigners Singida United FC on Wednesday in what will be a pre-tournament rehearsal for two of the four teams from Tanzania who will represent their nations.

TPL leaders Yanga SC (50) and third-placed Simba SC (33) who have played four games less than the front runners round the home sides with growing feeling in Tanzania that the trophy will remain here following the January 27 final.

Gor are incidentally also sixth in the SPL on 10 points from six games but sat out their domestic top flight on Sunday where they held off New Stars de Doula of Cameroon 2-1 in the first leg of their CAF Confederations Cup play-off tie in Nairobi.

They will arrive in Tanzania to defend the SP Cup under the charge of Hassan Oktay, the head coach who took over from flamboyant Briton Dylan Kerr at the start of this season.

Kerr led Gor to cup glory in Nakuru last year having watched from the stands when his former assistant, Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno, guide K’Ogalo to their first SP Cup crown in Dar.

-Additional reporting by Mutwiri Mutuota