Wajir All Stars from Wajir County have been crowned the new champions of the Safaricom Chapa Dimba North Eastern Region after silencing the host Lyon 04 FC from Garissa 2-0 in the finals played today at Garissa University in Garissa County.
Mohamud Adan broke the deadlock in the 35th minute to put Wajir All Stars in the lead. Lyon 04 FC’s attempt to level the score in the 56th minute failed after Yahye Abdikadir missed a penalty. Mursal Abdinasir later doubled the score for Wajir All Stars at the 70th minute, making it 2-0.
“Today’s game against the hosts, Lyon 04 FC, was relatively easier compared to yesterday’s match against Marina FC from Mandera. Despite my players being fatigued, they remained composed and capitalized on the rare chances we got to secure the victory. After today’s game, we now embark on training and preparation for the national finals, which are just around the corner,” said Ahmed Kul, head coach Wajir All Stars.
Wajir All Stars had advanced to the finals after edging out Marina FC from Mandera 3-1 on post-match penalties after a baren draw in the semi- final match played on Saturday.
In the Girls’ category, Wajir Queens under the stewardship of Ahmed Mohamed Abdullahi were given a walk over due to lack of opponents at the regional level. They edged out Wajir Starlets in a 2-0 win in their county finals. Wajir County was the only county that had girls’ teams in the North Eastern region.
Both Wajir All Star and their counterparts Wajir Queen have each pocketed KES. 250,000, and will represent the North Eastern region in the National finals slated for April at Kisumu’s Mamboleo Stadium. The runners-up: Lyon 04 FC also took home KES. 150,000 each. The Most Valuable Player (MVP), Best Goalkeeper, and Top Scorer each received KES. 30,000.
In addition to the grand prize, the finalists took home Smartphones. The winning team took home Neon Ultra phones, while the runners-up took home Neon Smarter Phones.
They join Ebwali FC and Brenda Girls from Western, Obunga FC and Plateau Queens, also known as Nyakach Girls, PASC Langa and Wiyeta Girls from Rift Valley, Chuka Uni Scorpions and Syomunyu Sec from Eastern Region and Bandari Youth and Changamwe Ladies from Coast Region who have already qualified for the national finals set for April in Kisumu County.
This year, Safaricom Chapa Dimba North Eastern region’s showdown featured a total of 286 teams from the six counties of the region including: Mandera (115), Garissa (60) and Wajir (111).
The tournament aims to provide a structured platform for scouts and coaches to tap into new talent and build feeder systems for the Kenyan football leagues across the country while also training a total of 250 coaches. The tournament targets footballers aged between 16 and 20 years old.
With the North Eastern Region done and dusted, Safaricom Chapa Dimba next heads to the Capital city, Nairobi with eight teams lined up to battle for the regional title.