Sunday Kayuni: Cursed AFC Leopards will never win the Kenyan Premier League title

Tanzanian coach Sunday Kayuni has explained why AFC Leopards will go without winning the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) title.

Kayuni was the coach when Ingwe won their last KPL trophy in 1998 and since then the club have struggled to keep up with rivals Gor Mahia taking the lion's share of KPL titles.

Without mincing words, Kayuni has now told Goal in an exclusive interview he cursed AFC Leopards when he was fired by the then chairman, the late Francis Chahonyo, adding they can only start winning titles if they apologise and pay him his outstanding arrears.

“It is true I cursed AFC Leopards and they will never win the KPL title again. Even if they sign Jose Mourinho or Pep Guardiola, they will not win the league,” Kayuni told Goal at the on-going Cecafa tournament in Rwanda.

“I was fired like a dog and chased away and the pain I went through during that period was very hard to take. It was very unfortunate all this happened after I had helped the team to win the title and it will remain their only title.”

Kayuni explains after winning the league crown in 1998, his moves to sign more players to beef up the squad were thwarted after the late Chahonyo allegedly duped the new players with bouncing cheques as sign-on fees.

“My intentions for AFC Leopards were very good, I joined the team after they had played four matches in the season and went on to guide them to the title finishing top while Mumias Sugar came second,” continued Kayuni, who now works as a technical advisor for the Cecafa committee.

“With the league win giving us the chance to play in Caf Champions League and also Cecafa tournament, I pleaded with the top officials at the club to sign more players.

"I settled for seven new signings but what happened next, all the players did not ever play for AFC Leopards as what they were paid for as sign-on fees did not reach their pockets, the cheques issued to them bounced.

“It was a difficult situation for me as I was forced to recall the other players whom I had already released. Some agreed to come back and others had already signed for other clubs.

“We went to Cecafa and drew all our three matches and thus bowed out of the tournament. And this is where the problem started as Chahonyo demanded to know why we had failed to make it from the group stages.

“Despite my explanation, Chahonyo decided to fire me on the spot and my efforts to get paid my dues never materialised as the same Chahonyo ordered for my arrest, saying the hotel I was putting in, I was yet to pay bills, and all this was previously being paid by the club.

“I was later arrested with orders from the club bosses and taken to a police station where I stayed for at least two days before the High Commissioner for Tanzania came to my rescue.

“When I came out of the cells, I tried again to push for my money but nothing came out, I decided to go back to Tanzania and cursed the team. They will remain without KPL trophy for as long as they don’t apologise to me.

“It is a long story which I cannot explain to the end but for now my curse for the team still remains.”

Ingwe will be seeking for a better outing when the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) season kicks off on August 31.