Key Takeaways
- Seven FKF Premier League clubs and second-tier surprise package Mfalme FC make up the quarter-final line-up.
- Ulinzi Stars face 1994 champions Tusker in the stand-out tie as both sides chase their only realistic shot at silverware this season.
- Matches will be played on 2-3 May, with the eventual winners earning a place in next season’s CAF Confederations Cup.
The road to the 2024-25 CAF Confederations Cup became clearer on Wednesday after the FKF MozzartBet Cup quarter-final draw served up four tasty clashes.
Soldiers Ulinzi Stars will trade tackles with Tusker at the last-eight stage, reviving memories of the 2016 final which the Brewers won on their way to a league-and-cup double. Tusker have not lifted the trophy since that triumph and, languishing in mid-table in the FKF Premier League, view the cup as their best route to continental football. New coach Julien Mette says his charges are ready for battle. “We told the players from day one that the cup is our priority. Ulinzi are tough, but we both need this trophy badly,” the Frenchman stated.
Defending champions Nairobi City Stars, who shocked Gor Mahia in last year’s final before reaching the group phase of the Confederations Cup, have been paired with bankers KCB. The draw keeps alive City Stars’ dream of back-to-back titles and another shot at Africa.
Top-flight high-flyers Kenya Police FC will take on popular side Shabana FC. Police, already out of the league title race, hope to use their depth to march into the semis, while Shabana’s large fan base is desperate for a first piece of top-tier silverware since their return to the Premier League.
The tie that carries the biggest “cup-set” potential pits 2019 winners Bandari against Division-II outfit Mfalme FC. The Eldoret-based minnows hammered top-flight Murang’a Seal 5-1 in the round of 16 and believe they can shock the coastal giants.
All four matches are scheduled for the weekend of 2-3 May, with the victors moving one step closer to both domestic glory and a ticket to represent Kenya in next season’s CAF Confederations Cup.
