Boniface Ambani: AFC Leopards should sign quality players to end league title drought

AFC Leopards have been getting it all wrong by not signing quality players available in the market, leading to their 26-year premier league title drought.

According to Mara Sugar Technical Bench Director and former Harambee Stars striker, Boniface Ambani, the 12-time league champions have compromised player-signings by leaving out the best who could have helped them lift the league crown.

“One of the problems that is eating up AFC Leopards is the signings. When you are signing you need the bench because a good team must have good players on the bench who are like the first eleven to have a healthy competition in the playing unit,” said Ambani.

“Don’t compromise with the signings. We don’t just sign because it’s time to rush to the market and sign players. Consider first of all which kind of players you require,” he added.

Ambani is disappointed that Ingwe have not won the league since 1998, and believes that had his brother, Fred Ambani, been the head coach last season, Leopards could have turned around their fortunes.

“Fred is there now and it’s interesting that my brother is back as the assistant coach of AFC Leopards. But now he is not the head coach. I always wish that if he was the head coach of Ingwe then things might have been different as white and blue because we believe in merit,” Ambani underscored.

Fred Ambani is currently deputizing head coach, Czech Tomas Trucha, who took over from Tom Juma in October last year.

Fred is the last Leopards player to finish top of the goal scorers’ chart, pushing them to lift their last league title in 1998.

Ingwe finished fifth with 51 points, 22 behind champions Gor Mahia.