Equity FC head coach John Baraza has refused to rule out a return to Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League (FKF-PL) side, Sofapaka.Baraza’s ten-year association with Sofapaka that saw him serve as a player, assistant coach, interim coach, and finally head coach came to an end last December when the club announced his departure after a run of poor results. He was replaced by Ken Odhiambo who was tasked with stabilizing the ship. Odhiambo’s reign has equally been challenging and the team sits 11th in the log with 28 points after 23 rounds of league matches.Sofapaka have confirmed the appointment of Ken Odhiambo as the team’s head coach following the exit of John Baraza. pic.twitter.com/pV3zObgMn2— Dimba (@dimba) January 1, 2021 The former Kenyan international then moved to Division One side, Equity FC where he led the team to a fourth-place finish in the FKF Cup and are currently in the race for promotion to the National Super League (NSL)Asked whether a return to Batoto Ba Mungu’s fold is something he would consider, the soft-spoken Baraza labeled Sofapaka his home an indication that he could move back to the 2009 champions should an opportunity present itself.“Honestly, I can say that they have groomed me and they are the ones who have gotten me where I am today. In this coaching profession, you must start somewhere, and I started in Sofapaka that will always remain to be home. You know it is hard to stay with a team for over ten years, then say that is not home. It is home. Yeah, it is home,” he told Kenyan Breaking.When Sofapaka announced Baraza’s departure, they revealed that he was going to further his coaching badges abroad, this, however, is yet to materialize and Baraza says the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult for him to travel abroad for studies.“Yes, there was and that is one of the things that I was told by the President (Elly Kalekwa). There was a study plan and honestly, there was Norway and Germany. Those are the two countries that they were communicating with through the federation. And the answer that I got was hinged on the state of COVID-19 in Europe. The pandemic had grounded almost everything in Europe. So it was upon us to keep waiting but the plans are on,” he continued.Full timeBandari FC 0-1 Equity FCThe Bankers are through to the FKF Cup semi finals. Cup holders knocked out by a Division One team!. MASSIVE Good job by former Kenyan international John Baraza who’s the current Equity FC coach.#FKFCUP pic.twitter.com/Ua0F2VfqJI— Ole Teya (@Kevin_teya) June 9, 2021 Reflecting on his departure from Batoto ba Mungu, Baraza said the club president, Elly Kalekwa had high expectations for the current season after making some high-profile signings, and after a difficult start to the season, he opted for a change.“You know teams especially Sofapaka, the time that I have spent with them there, the goal when I was a player and even after I transitioned into coach, is always to win the league – not being second or third or winning cup tournaments like the FKF Cup on the bare minimum. And I think when we did our signings and started the league, Prezda saw that we had not gotten onto the path to winning the league. In his wisdom he saw that if I take a break, probably the team would get back on the track that he envisioned,” he concluded.
