Kenyan giant Kariobanji Sharks will play Everton in the SportPesa Trophy match in Nairobi.
Everton for the second time will travel to Africa (Nairobi) to take on Kariobanji Sharks in a first 2019-preseason friendly.
The game, scheduled for Sunday, June 7, 2019 at the Kasarani Stadium will be the second time the London based team take on an African opponent on the African soil after last meeting Gor Manhia at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania last year.
Kariobanji Sharks beat Bandari 1:0 to lift the SportPesa Cup- an eighteen-team tournament which featured clubs from Kenya and Tanzania, earning them the right to face the Toffees in the SportPesa trophy challenge.
The game against the Kariobangi Sharks FC marks Everton’s second visit to east Africa.
The team travelled to Tanzania in July 2017 to face inaugural SportPesa Super Cup winners Gor Mahia FC in a game the Toffees won 2-1, the first time a Premier League club had visited east Africa. In November 2018, Kenya’s Gor Mahia FC travelled to Goodison Park, the first occasion an east African club side has played a Premier League club in the UK.
Alan McTavish, Commercial Director at Everton Football Club, said: “We are extremely excited to be heading back to Africa to play against the Kariobangi Sharks FC. We were given an exceptionally warm welcome when we played in Tanzania in 2017 and are looking forward to visiting Kenya and what we know will be a fantastic experience in the Kasarani Stadium.
“Just like the last time we took the team to east Africa, we will be delivering extensive community and fan engagement activities with our friends from SportPesa and we will be learning more about the rich culture of the country and the opportunities that are available to us in this region.”
Captain Ronald Karauri, Chief Executive Officer of SportPesa, said: “Kariobangi Sharks FC is a team that has defied many odds to first make it to Kenya’s top league, the SportPesa Premier League, earning their stripes by winning the Shield Cup in Kenya, and to our delight, the SportPesa Cup tournament in Tanzania which was held in January. These boys have all it takes to host Everton for this historic match. It will be a record making match as well as a much-needed catalyst to boost careers in local football as well as sports development in the country.”
Credit: EvertonFC. com
