The law enforcers, who are making their maiden appearance in the inter-club competition following their success in winning the domestic Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Cup last season, suffered a 1-0 defeat against the defending champions in the second preliminary round fixture at Nyayo Stadium on Saturday, September 14th.
Despite playing in front of their fans, Police were left to rue missed chances as the White Knights scored through Abdalla Mohammed Sayed, who finished off a cross from Ahmed Mostafa in the 45th minute and help snatch the advantage heading into the return leg on Friday, September 20th at Cairo International Stadium.
While Police reached the second round following their 1-0 aggregate win against Ethiopian Coffee, Zamalek received a bye to the round. Police had drawn 0-0 against the Ethiopian side in Nairobi but stunned them in Addis Ababa 1-0 to qualify for the stage.
Defiant Police will give their all against Zamalek
Despite trailing Zamalek, who apart from being the competition’s champions, are renowned for their consistent success at both domestic and continental level, regularly contending in CAF tournaments, coach Kimani is not surrendering to the first leg defeat.
Kimani’s sentiments came after the club, through their social media pages, promised to produce a better display against the Egyptian side in Cairo.
“Despite our setback in the last match, our spirit remains unbroken. Coach Modo has instilled a winning mentality in the team, and we are headed to Egypt with renewed determination,” read part of the statement on their social media pages.
Could this be the reason Kimani is confident of turning the tables in the enemy’s territory? Speaking to Flashscore, the former Kenya national team Harambee Stars midfielder was categorical that they have only played 90 minutes of football and have another 90 to change the tide of the game in Cairo.
“We don’t need to be reminded that they (Zamalek) are the defending champions, they have been around for the longest time, have already made their mark in African football and they will be enjoying the advantage from the first leg win, but our work is to make sure we do our job and reverse the result,” Kimani told Flashscore.
“We have worked on the mistakes from the first leg, it is still possible (to beat them and qualify), we have a good chance to achieve it, we still have over 90 minutes to go there and make things right and knock them out.
“It will be very unfair for us to lose hope at this stage with the game still at 1-0, we don’t want to think the game is over, it is not over, we can only lose hope at the final whistle, but we are heading to Cairo with one mission: to go and try to win. We know more against them now, and we are familiar with them, we know what to expect from them hence our readiness to deliver.”
Revisiting the first leg display where Police created a host of scoring chances but their strikers led by Jesse Were could not convert, Kimani said: “Against them in the first leg we showed we can fight for every ball, we can take the game to their territory, but our main undoing was a failure to use the chances we created, in football missed chances count for nothing unless they are turned into goals.
“We have talked to my players about it (missed chances) and told them the importance of taking them, and we are ready to give our best.”
After the game at Nyayo, Zamalek coach James Gomes admitted Police were the better side and should have carried the day had they taken their chances.
“Police showed up for the game, they were all over the pitch but could not convert their chances, we beat them because we scored from the chance we created,” said the Swiss tactician.
“We will not underrate them, they have good players in their squad, who can play anywhere in the world, and any mistake to underrate them may be suicidal to our chances, and remember 1-0 means nothing, so we must stay focused to finish the job in Cairo.”
Police played Zamalek minus six key players - striker Clinton Kinanga, goalkeeper John Njau, left-back Geoffrey Onyango (who signed from Kariobangi Sharks), and midfielders Erick Zakayo, Duncan Otieno and David Owino – owing to injuries.
According to the club, none of the aforementioned players will be fit to play the return leg with only Zakayo and Musa in their final phase of recovery. “Zakayo and Musa are in the final phase of their recovery process and are set to rejoin full training soon. Your support has been incredible throughout their journey, and we can’t wait to see them back in action,” read a statement from Police.
CAF bars Zamalek fans from attending Police contest
Police’s chances received a boost after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) through the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) confirmed the fixture scheduled to kick off at 20:00 (Kenyan time) will be played behind closed doors.
The ban of four matches follows a pitch invasion that occurred during the White Knights’ Confederation Cup match against Morocco’s RS Berkane on May 19th, 2024. Zamalek secured a 1-0 victory in Cairo, clinching the title on the away goals rule after the first leg ended 2-1 in favour of Berkane in Morocco.
According to CAF, the decision to bar the fans from attending the battle at Cairo Stadium is part of a disciplinary ruling imposed by the African body following a decision from the CAF Disciplinary Board which imposed a two-match ban on Zamalek spectators for inter-club home games.
“To impose on Zamalek the obligation to play behind closed doors during these four next interclub matches of the CAF as host club for failure to provide the necessary security measures for the match in question as per articles 82,83 and 100 of the CAF Disciplinary Code,” stated the statement from CAF.
CAF further explained that Zamalek supporters had breached security by forcefully entering the VIP section, with some fans even climbing onto the roof of the VIP stand after the second leg of the CAF Confederation Cup final in Egypt. CAF further stated that the pitch invasion, involving Zamalek fans, staff, extra players, and family members, compromised the prize-giving ceremony.
The overcrowding resulted in a poorly executed ceremony, which tarnished CAF’s image and raised concerns about the safety of their staff and officials.
Zamalek are the most successful football club of the 20th century in Africa, gaining nine titles versus seven for their closest rival, and they have won five Champions League titles, two Confederation Cup titles, four CAF Super Cup titles and one African Cup Winners' Cup title.
The White Knights became the first Egyptian team ever to win the CAF Super Cup in 1994 and they are considered the Club of the Afro-Asian Century, as they were the first Egyptian team to participate in and win the Afro-Asian Cup in 1987; they also hold the record for most participations (1987, 1994, and 1997) and most titles after winning it a second time in 1997.
