Sofapaka requires at least Ksh7 million to sort out the player transfer ban and beat the Club Licensing grace period granted by First Instance Body (FIB). The 2009 league champions are currently unable to register new players after former players; Fiston Razak and Moussa Omar alongside coach Pablo Nduwimana reported the club to FIFA. Additionally, the duo of Collins Wakhungu and Paul Kiongera are demanding compensation from the club as awarded by the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT). ##NAJAVA_MECA_8305161##FIB granted Sofapaka the license to feature in the 2024-2025 season on condition that, money owed to Kiongera and Wakhungu is paid before the end of September. Club President, Elly Kalekwa, says they are racing against time in their bid to clear with the former five employees who served the club in different seasons. “We are in need of at least seven million shillings in order to sort our transfer ban. We are working round the clock to secure external sources of funding so as to restore the glory and pride of the club,” he revealed. The effects of the ban were there for all to see in the opening league encounter against Tusker FC played last weekend in Machakos as Sofapaka had only two options on the substitutes bench. However, there is a ray of light at the end of the tunnel as a number of new players, including foreigners, have been training with Batoto ba Mungu pending the lifting of the ban. List of Kenyans Timothy Ouma has joined ahead of UEFA Europa League participationKalelwa disclosed that contracts between the club and the new signings had been signed and it is just a matter of time before the technical bench can field them. “We have solid plans to plug in the gaps in the playing unit. As soon as the ban is lifted, we will unveil our new players. We are doing all this, while conscious of the fact that time is not on our side,” he said. Meanwhile, Kalekwa disclosed their budget for the season that got off to a 1-0 loss to the Brewers. Kalekwa, who insists that a new bus is not a priority at the moment, said the club needs at least Ksh60 million in order to run smoothly in the campaign. FKFPL Preview: Sofapaka’s season looks doomed before kicking a ballSofapaka lost their bus, earlier in the year to auctioneers, after failing to meet contractual obligations between them and former players. “We are knocking on doors with the intention of bringing new sponsors on board. We nearly got relegated in 2016 due to a lack of commercial partners and last season was no different. We have learnt our lessons the hard way,” he added.
