Why rivals should be scared of Kabras Sugar after Dala 7s win

NAIROBI, Kenya, August 5, 2026 – Kabras Sugar head coach Carlos Katywa has warned rivals in the local scene that his team’s dominance is just in its infancy.

The South African points to the team’s strategic youth development programme that is presently bearing good fruits in the form of talented and athletic players.

“These boys have been in the system since under 16…under 18. I think God has blessed us that these boys have lived up to their full potential. Let me tell you it’s gonna take something for someone to ignore Siketa (Jackson), Lukusi (Mike), Rayvon (Ambale). You guys are also missing one person…there’s a boy called Kwesa (Adrian), he’s only 19 years old. He was playing wing centre,” Katywa said. sweetbonanza-app.com

The sugar millers are undoubtedly the kings of Kenyan rugby, having won the prestigious Kenya Cup six times, including a five-peat from 2021 to date.

They have also won the last five editions of the Enterprise Cup (2022-2026).

Although their fortunes in the rugby 7s pale in comparison to their aforementioned accomplishments in the 15s, the Western Kenya side have always been a top contender for the National Sevens Circuit (NSC) and have contributed a number of renowned players to the national set-up, including Kevin Wekesa and Brian Tanga, among others.

With the emergence of the young talents, this trend seems set to continue.

Katywa says this is a role Kabras are only too happy to play, breeding the best of the best in Kenyan rugby down at the ‘Forest’– their home ground.

“That’s what we do down there in the west (Kakamega)…we breed players and I am not saying other teams don’t but we are working hard down there. We’re gonna make sure that this country will continuously rebuild and have new players coming in the system. It is so beautiful to watch young players excel,” he said.

Rough edges to refine

Kabras’ young bloods were on show at the past weekend’s Dala 7s, spurring the sugar millers to a 17-5 victory over archrivals Menengai Oilers at the Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Mamboleo, Kisumu.

Ambale was named the tourney’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) after topping the points chart with 77 across the competition — taking his tally to 128 for the NSC thus far.

For all their virtuoso performance, the gaffer is, however, cautious not to declare them the finished product.

A cause of concern is the tendency of his charges to start games on the backfoot before picking up the pace later on.

“We have a tendency or actually not even just us…I believe it’s a Kenyan thing. We always try and chase games and you can see it has happened in Under 20s, Simbas and it’s happening. We’ve got very skilled players and very strong players but there’s something that needs to change,” he said.

Katywa added: “I don’t know whether it’s a training regime or not or that we are fitter or stronger at the end or we practice fitness at the end whether we should change it to start. I can tell you there’s also something that one needs to understand with that character. It means that Kenyans have got character…they are resilient they come back they always fight and that’s what Kabras is all about.”

The South African will be hoping that there is more where that came from as far as his youngsters are concerned.

If they continue with the same form exhibited at the Prinsloo 7s and Dala, Shujaa head coach Kevin ‘Bling’ Wambua, who has been watching from the stands, will need painkillers to heal from the selection headache he will encounter as he ponders over his team for the Safari 7s.

NAIROBI, Kenya, August 5, 2026 – Gor Mahia head coach Charles Akonnor is convicted that his charges have the wherewithal to compete with the creme-de-la-creme in the Caf Champions League.

The Ghanaian has cited the team’s recent performances at the Cecafa Club Championships as testament of K’Ogalo’s pedigree on the continental scene.

“There are a few elements that we saw that the future is bright for this team and so we are very happy. We believe that going forward, things will improve in our favour. In many ways, we know that we have a bigger competition coming ahead of us. If we’re able to test ourselves and do well and play against the likes of Al Hilal, who are a very good team…if we can play them and distract them from functioning very well, then we’ve achieved something,” Akonnor said.

The Kenyan champions brushed aside the Sudanese giants in a hard-fought semi-final of the regional tourney, excelling 8-7 on post-match penalties to qualify for the finals for the first time since 2015 — when they lost 2-0 to Tanzania’s Azam.

Both teams were deadlocked at 1-1 after 120 minutes, Gor finishing a man down after Jackson Dwang’ was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence.

Regardless of the result, Akonnor revealed his boys had already done enough to earn his admiration and respect.

“Even if we would have lost today through penalties, I’d have been proud of them because they did exactly what we wanted them to do. They showed great character and we believe that going forward, things will be okay. We will have to improve anyway but honestly, I’m proud of them. I am sure Kenya is also proud of them and we’re happy,” the ex-Ghana national team tactician said.

As they retreat to the training ground to prepare for Friday’s final against hosts Rayon Sports, the Ghanaian will be sweating over their bluntness in front of goal, which was a sore thumb in that last four tie against Al Hilal.

“It’s a concern for the near future because very soon we’ll be having a lot of competitions coming up. I mean, on the next match, on the final, we will manage it as of now because we’ve got a few guys who can help and improve the team,” he said.

K’Ogalo have an axe to grind with Rayon Sports who beat them 2-0 in a pre-season friendly in Kigali at the end of last month.

Akonnor will be buoyed by a number attacking reinforcements he has made in recent weeks, including one-time Puskas Award nominee Dennis Omedi, David ‘Messi’ Okoth and Paul Okoth — who was the second highest scorer with 19 goals in the FKF Premier League last season.

ISTANBUL, Turkey, August 5, 2026 – Turkish club Trabzonspor are set to confirm the signing of Mohamed Salah as the Egypt captain was mobbed by fans on his arrival in Turkey.

Hundreds of fans gathered outside Ataturk Airport in Istanbul on Wednesday as Salah emerged wearing Trabzonspor colours before engaging with the excited crowd.

The 34-year-old forward left Liverpool at the end of last season after nine years on Merseyside, scoring 257 goals.

It is unclear what Salah will earn at Trabzonspor, but as he is a free agent, the Super Lig club will have been able to commit more of their budget towards Salah’s wages.

Salah, who has scored 50 Champions League goals, will play European football with Trabzonspor next season after they finished third, eight points behind champions Galatasaray.

If they fail to progress to the league phase of the Europa League via the play-offs, they will drop down to the Conference League.

Salah became Liverpool’s highest earner in their history when he signed a reported £400,000-a-week contract in April 2025.

Nicknamed the Black Sea Storm, Trabzonspor have won seven league titles, six of which came between 1976 and 1984.

In 2022, they claimed their most recent league success, ending a 38-year wait.

Based in the north-eastern city of Trabzon, they are one of only six teams to have won the Turkish Super Lig.

Salah’s signing will go down as the club’s biggest as he joins former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge and former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe in donning the claret and sky blue shirt.

He helped the Liverpool to win two Premier League titles, the Champions League, the Club World Cup, Uefa Super Cup, FA Cup and two EFL Cups.

During his time in England, the Egyptian won the Premier League Golden Boot on four occasions and was named the Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year three times – in 2018, 2022 and 2025.

But despite scoring 29 goals and making 18 assists in Liverpool’s 2024-25 title-winning season, Salah’s minutes diminished the following campaign after a falling out with former Reds head coach Arne Slot.

Salah fever takes over Turkey

Since announcing he would be leaving Liverpool a year before his two-year contract extension ended, the football world has been wondering where he would next be playing.

After a successful World Cup campaign where Egypt reached the round of 16 for the first time before narrowly losing to Argentina, Salah was reported to be close to an agreement with a different Turkish club, Besiktas.

With a deal breaking down reportedly because of finances, Salah reached an agreement instead with Trabzonspor.

The Turkish side took to their social media on Tuesday night to tease the arrival of Salah with the Pyramids being shown on a video next to Papara Park.

But, following swiftly was another post stating “negotiations had begun” between Salah and Trabzonspor before showing how Salah’s Wednesday flight into Istanbul could be tracked.

“Trabzon, are you ready? See you very soon,” he said in a video onboard a private jet and posted on social media.

Trabzonpor’s flight tracking came in handy as a huge amount of fans gathered outside the airport to welcome Salah, who was greeted like a movie star.

As one of sport’s biggest global stars, this transfer for Trabzonspor is huge.

Their current squad includes on-loan Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana, as well as a couple of Cape Verde’s World Cup stars in Wagner Pina and Sidny Lopes Cabral.

Salah one of Turkish football’s biggest-ever signings

Burak Abatay

BBC News Turkish

There can be little doubt that Trabzonspor have completed one of the biggest transfers in Turkish football history.

The country is no stranger to global stars: Roberto Carlos, Didier Drogba, Robin van Persie, Samuel Eto’o, Mesut Ozil and Wesley Sneijder have all played in the Super Lig.

This season, supporters will be able to watch N’Golo Kante and Ederson at Fenerbahce; Victor Osimhen, Ilkay Gundogan and Leroy Sane at Galatasaray; and now Salah at Trabzonspor.

A transfer of this magnitude however represents a significant departure for Trabzonspor who, while competing for the title, have focused on developing young players and identifying talent with resale potential.

With the league increasingly dominated by Fenerbahce and Galatasaray, enthusiasm among Trabzonspor supporters had appeared to fade and Papara Park was often below capacity.

The signing of Salah is an attempt to change that.

His arrival should bring supporters back and significantly increase shirt sales. It could also broaden Trabzonspor’s commercial appeal across the Middle East, while generating particular interest among the Arab community in Trabzon and visitors to the city.

It is a bold change in strategy for Trabzonspor and Salah offers a renewed sense of excitement.

Banyana Banyana will need to take down hosts Morocco in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) quarterfinals on Saturday night in Rabat, if they are to seal their place at the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup finals in Brazil.

Banyana make life difficult

Desiree Ellis’ side have not made life easy for themselves en route to the last eight, but a 1-0 win over Burkina Faso on Tuesday was enough to take them through as Group B runners-up.

Ivory Coast’s win over Tanzania in the other Group B match meant Banyana vaulted into second in the group, to set up the clash with Morocco.

Thembi Kgatlana’s early goal gave Bafana an advantage against Burkina Faso that they managed to hang on to, though they needed a VAR decision in their favour to overturn a Burkinabe penalty.

“I said it was going to be a tough one, and we made it a little bit difficult for ourselves. We scored early and stopped playing,” said Ellis at the post match press conference.

“You’ve got to give credit to the players though, it wasn’t pretty and sometimes it doesn’t have to be pretty. Defensively we were organised and I think we had one or two chances that could have put the game to bed. But I thought the team played very well.”

Banyana lost their opening Group B match 2-1 to Tanzania and then needed a goal deep into stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw with Ivory Coast.

‘The fightback shows what this team is made of’

“It’s not how you start, but how you finish,” added Ellis.

“The fightback shows what this team is made of, and we keep working on being better and that’s all we can do.

“Now the games are coming thick and fast, there’s no margin for error. We have also shown that we can grind out results.

“I think in 2018 we played probably the best football of the tournament and we didn’t win it. In 2022 we mixed it up, so we’ve learned that you can’t play pretty all the time and that’s what people expect from Banyana Banyana. But we will take it step by step and day by day.”

NAIROBI, Kenya, August 5, 2026 – Ugandan right-back David Owori has passed away after incurring injuries from an attack by suspected thugs.

In a statement, Ugandan Premier League side SC Villa revealed that Owori, who was the club captain, passed away at a clinic while receiving treatment for the injuries.

“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the untimely passing of our captain, David Owori, who had been receiving treatment at Case Clinic following an attack by suspected thugs,” the club announced.

The club further eulogised the deceased as a dedicated and valuable player whose contribution was felt across all levels of the club.

“The club commiserates with David’s family, teammates, friends, supporters, and the entire football fraternity during this painful moment. David was a valuable player, leader and servant of the game whose loss is deeply felt by both the club and the nation,” SC Villa said.

The 27-year-old began his career in youth — and senior — set-up of Ugandan champions Vipers SC before moving to Villa in 2018, where he played for three years.

Owori then moved abroad for greener pastures, turning out for Spanish side Velez CF as well as Swedish outfit Utsitkens BK.

In 2023, he rejoined SC Villa for who he has been plying his trade until his demise.

His demise comes two months after the death of another Ugandan sportsperson, rugby Sydney Gongodyo, who was falsely accused of snatching a lady’s handbag in Kampala and subsequently assaulted by a mob.

The Stanbic Bank Pirates player was rushed to Mulago District Hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.