Former FKF Women’s Premier League champions Vihiga Queens will be without the services of skipper Maurine Achieng Ater for the rest of the season as the midfielder leaves for India.Ater, the longest-serving player for the four-time league champions has landed a deal with a yet-to-be-revealed top-tier side in the Indian Women’s League whose 2024-25 football season kicks off on Friday 10 January and runs until Sunday 13 April.Tusker confirm midfielder leaving on a free transfer ahead of Tanzania moveSet to depart on Friday 10 January, Vihiga Queens’ head coach Boniface Nyamunyamu says her exit, while likely to affect the team’s stability, was well timed as the team will have time to regroup ahead of the second leg.“We have lost not only an experienced player but a leader in her position and the team. Her absence will be felt, certainly, but this is a challenge for her understudies to rise to the occasion,” Nyamunyamu said of the versatile player who has been part of Queens’ rise to the top, featuring for a decade.“With the first leg coming to an end, we will have time to restructure and cover for her absence. We are also in the market for a replacement and the upcoming break is timely for this.” ##NAJAVA_MECA_8624847##The side is in action on Saturday 11 January in their last match of the first leg, up against Kisumu’s KISPED, away at Moi Stadium, a match Nyamunyamu admits Ater’s maturity will be missed.The match, while a first in the league, is a repeat of the 2023 Football Kenya Federation Women’s Cup round of 16 clash that saw the Kisumu-based side eliminate the favourites on post-match spot kicks.“It will be no easy match as KISPED are not only confident from that result in 2023 but are also motivated to pull themselves up on the log. With players coming off the festive break, the dynamics are also slightly different and we must assume a careful approach on Saturday as we look to end the leg and start the year on a positive note,” Nyamunyamu who maintains that the target is to reclaim the title, opined.Maurine is one of our founding players and her dedication and teamwork have been inspiring. She will fondly be remembered for her immense contribution leading the team to a decade long LEGACY MAKING HERITAGE. pic.twitter.com/ghkNpgh56A— Vihiga Queens FC (@Vihigaqueensfc) January 10, 2025 ##EDITORS_CHOICE##
