Bandari FC gear up for Mapinduzi Cup

FKF Premier League side Bandari FC has landed an invitation as the sole representative of Kenya in the upcoming 2023 Mapinduzi Cup that will be played between December 28 and January 13 in the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar.

The Dockers will compete against big teams from Zanzibar, Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda and Uganda as they embrace this rare opportunity to compete internationally.

However, it won’t be an easy ride for Bandari, who might meet teams like Yanga SC, Simba SC, Azam FC among others. Simba SC are the reigning champions.

Bandari FC technical director Ricky Solomon has thanked the Zanzibar Football Federation for the invaluable opportunity.

"We have accepted the invitation and I want to thank the Zanzibar Football Federation for the invitation. It is a privilege and honor to participate, not to mention that we are the only team from Kenya.

“This is a great opportunity for our youth to play against big African teams like Yanga and Simba which will give them a different challenge from the one they get from the likes of Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards and they will build their experience greatly," said Ricky who is a former Harambee Stars player.

The Mapinduzi Cup is an annual competition organized by the government of Zanzibar together with the Zanzibar Football Federation (ZFF) to commemorate Zanzibar’s Revolution Day.

Azam FC has won the Cup a record five times, Simba SC, three times while Mtibwa Sugar and Young Africans SC have won it twice.

Zanzibar’s Jamhuri, KMKM SC, Zanzibar Police, Mafunzo FC, Miembeni FC, and Malindi Sc each lifted the title once while Uganda’s sides KCCA FC and URA FC have also lifted the trophy once.

Other teams that grace the 2023 Mapinduzi Cup in Tanzania include Mlandege FC (Zanzibar), Singida Fountain Gate (Tanzania), Vital'O FC (Burundi), Simba SC (Tanzania), Yanga SC (Tanzania), APR FC (Rwanda), Azam FC (Tanzania), URA FC (Uganda), Bandari FC (Kenya), KVZ FC (Zanzibar), Chipukizi FC (Zanzibar) and Jamhuri SC (Zanzibar).