Ebwali Boys and Madira Soccer Assassins from Vihiga County have emerged as the first teams to qualify for the Safaricom Chapa Dimba Western Region finals.
This is after they defeated their rivals, Bunyore Assassins and Maroon Queens, respectively, in the county-level finals held at Mumboha Stadium, Luanda, in Vihiga County.
Ebwali beat Bunyore Assassins, 4-1 on penalties after both teams recorded a goalless draw in normal time. The 17-year-old Ebwali goalkeeper, Nelson Angayia, saved two penalties from Kelly Agesa and Joseph Omulando, while two shots went wide, earning them victory and a ticket to the regional finals.
“The game today was really tough, facing a stiff challenge from our rivals, Bunyore Assassins, especially considering that we had just come from the county school games where we were knocked out. Most of the players had not yet fully recovered from the loss, but we thank today’s victory has revived our hope as we now turn our focus to the regional finals,” said Nelson Angayia, goalkeeper Ebwali Boys
In the Girls Category, Madira Soccer Assassins, made their debut in the Safaricom Chapa Dimba tournament this year and secured a 1-0 victory against Maroon Queens. The winning goal was scored by Valary Nekesa, who also earned the top scorer title, taking home KES. 10,000.
“I am happy for our team’s victory, which has come a long way to secure a ticket to represent Vihiga County at the Western Region finals. This is our first time participating in the Safaricom Chapa Dimba tournament. I want to thank our coach and teachers for their strong support, and particularly Safaricom for bringing this tournament to the grassroots, as it is through such tournaments that we get exposure and showcase our talents.” Said Valary Nekesa, top scorer Madira Girls
The winning teams Madira Soccer Assassins and Ebwali Boys each took home a KES 75,000 cash prize, with the runners-up Maroon Queens and Bunyore Assassins receiving KES 30,000 each.
This year, Western Kenya registered a total of 441 teams participating in the tournament with Kakamega leading at 162, followed by Bungoma (152), Busia (64), and Vihiga (63).
After Vihiga County, other county finals head to Busia, Kakamega and Bungoma Counties before culminating into the regional finals at Bukhungu Stadium later in the month.
Safaricom Chapa Dimba 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 football tournament targets young people aged between 16 and 20 years old.
Registration is currently ongoing across different regions in the country. The group stages will be played at the grassroots level, with successful teams qualifying for the regional finals across the eight regions.