Category: Sports

(Photo courtesy of Manchester City)

By Dennis Mungai 

Ladies and gentlemen, finally! It’s time. The new season is here with us. The 2023/24 English Premier League starts today, 11th August at 10pm Kenyan time with defending champions Manchester City travelling to newly- promoted Burnley. It will be a case of student versus teacher as Burnley’s head coach Vincent Kompany welcomes his former manager Pep Guardiola, with whom he served as captain when City won the 2017/18 season. City are favorites to win the season for a fourth time in a row, becoming the first team in English football history to do so.

Their arch- rivals Manchester United open the season with a home game against Wolves on Monday. New signing Rasmus Hojlund is out with an injury but new goalkeeper Andre Onana is expected to make his official Premier League debut in that match. The former Ajax ‘keeper was brought in to replace De Gea and is hoping to make a better start after conceding an embarrassing long range lob during their pre season game against Lens. Mason Mount is also expected to make an impact amidst growing pressure after his move from Chelsea and now wearing the number 7 shirt, having been worn by greats like Cristiano Ronaldo and Eric Cantona.

Chelsea face a tough start; they welcome Liverpool to Stamford Bridge. Christopher Nkunku is out and will not feature in this game. Chelsea seem to have found an attacking rhythm under new manager, Mauricio Pochettino. But whether that was just pre- season luck or is a sign of good things to come will be determined by how they start the season. Spurs travel to Brentford to start their season under new head coach Ange Postecoglou. Brighton welcome newly- promoted Luton town, Everton face Fulham and Crystal Palace travelled to Sheffield United.

Surprise top four finishers Newcastle welcome Aston Villa, while last season’s runners- up Arsenal welcome Nottingham Forest, the team that beat them last time to crown City champions. Their win against Man City to win the Community Shield has bolstered confidence among the fans and may hope to give the Cityzens another proper fight for the title this season.

The season is set to conclude on May 2024 and will be quite the normal season, compared to the previous three which had various interruptions like COVID-19 pandemic, the death of Queen Elizabeth and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

[Photo courtesy of AFC]

English midfielder, Declan Rice, has made a groundbreaking move by joining Arsenal Football Club. The record-breaking £105 million transfer sent shockwaves through the football world, as fans and pundits speculated on the potential impact this signing could have on both Rice’s career and Arsenal’s fortunes.

Rice, who has spent his entire professional career at West Ham United, has established himself as one of the brightest midfield prospects in the country.

The English man caught the attention of several top clubs including Bayern and Manchester City. However, it was Arsenal who secured his signature, much to the delight of their passionate fanbase.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been a key factor in luring Rice to the Gunners. The Spaniard has been an admirer of the former West Ham Captain as he made him his top summer target.

As the new Premier League season approached, excitement grew among Arsenal supporters.

Daystar City FC battled it out with Golf Course FC in remarkable fashion. Engaging in a pre-league friendly match, the team showcased their prowess and brought immense joy to the institution. The game turned out to be an exhilarating goal-fest, highlighted by the exceptional performance of their star striker, William, who astoundingly scored two hat-tricks in a single half.

The action-packed match kicked off at 5:30 p.m., taking place at their training facility, All Saints Cathedral Primary. City’s opponents, Golf Course FC, demonstrated impressive technical skills and a keen eye for scoring, but their efforts were thwarted by the well-coordinated teamwork of Daystar City.

Despite facing the challenge of missing key players due to injuries, the club showed great resilience and managed to win the game 7-6 in front of their enthusiastic home fans.

Friendlies like these serve as valuable opportunities for the team to implement and refine the strategies and techniques they have been honing during their training sessions. As they look ahead, it is crucial for Daystar City FC to ensure they are thoroughly prepared in order to make a strong start to the upcoming season and maintain their positive momentum.

[Photo courtesy of AFC]

Premier League club Arsenal have officially announced the signing of highly-rated Dutch defender Jurien Timber. The 22-year-old center-back joins the Gunners from Eredivisie side Ajax Amsterdam, marking a significant addition to Arsenal’s defensive line.

Jurien Timber has emerged as one of the most promising talents in European football, and his signing represents a statement of intent from Arsenal in their pursuit of young, talented players. The transfer fee for Timber is reported to be €40 million and €5 million in add ons

The signing of Jurien Timber is part of Arsenal’s ongoing rebuilding process, as the club aims to regain their status as genuine title contenders.

Timber’s arrival is expected to bolster Arsenal’s backline, providing competition for established defenders such as Gabriel Magalhães, Ben White, and Rob Holding.

His signing reflects the club’s commitment to a long-term vision, with an emphasis on developing young talents and building a sustainable team for the future.

By Joe Aura

As the top teams in the country prepare for the opening league games through friendly fixtures, Daystar City will take on Golf Course in a friendly this Friday.

City will be looking to bounce back after a narrow one-nil defeat against Syokimau FC in their last match out on Sunday, at Sabaki Grounds.

Club captain Bradley Kakazi has expressed optimism ahead of the friendly as the team looks to gain momentum ahead of preparation for other competitions.

Speaking to the involvement, the captain addressed the need to maintain fitness and build chemistry.

We are using such friendly fixtures to asses how we are doing as a team and sometimes individually and to figure out how we will reach where we want to be and it’s also to maintain fitness and build that chemistry we need to win games week in week out and the up coming league.

[Photo courtesy of AFC]

Premier League side Arsenal was held to a one-all by German side FC Nürnberg in a pre-season friendly. The Gunners broke the deadlock early on in the 7^th minute when England international Benjamin White found fellow teammate Bukayo Saka with a lobbed through ball.

The 21-year-old cut in from the right to unleash a powerful shot past the goalkeeper, Christian Mathenia. The German side equalized in the second half when a misplaced pass by goalkeeper Karl Hein found Kanji Okunuki who threaded it home.

The Londoners came close to equalizing in the 90^th minute when Folarin Balogun was through on goal but hit the side net.

They were without last season’s top scorer, Gabriel Martinelli. The Brazilian international is still out with an ankle injury sustained in May against Brighton.

New boy Kai Havertz featured in the second half to a warm reception. The German international joins Arsenal from Premier League rivals Chelsea in a €70 million deal

Arsenal are now set to fly out to the US for the rest of their pre-season tour where they’ll take on the MLS all-stars before taking on fellow Premier League rivals Manchester United

[Photo courtesy of Sky Sports]

The Everton midfielder has regressed in his footballing career since his time with London club Tottenham. From a mercurial teenage talent, Ali’s career has stagnated.

Speaking with Gary Neville in an interview on the overlap, The 27-year-old disclosed that he had an addiction to sleeping pill tablets. He further revealed that he had spent six weeks of summer in rehab in the US.

The news comes as a surprise to his critics who had called him out on his career trajectory and performance in recent years at his former club Tottenham and national team England.

The football community has shown their love and support to the out-of-favor England international.

By Eugene Oyier

(eugeneoyier@gmail.com)

The Premier League is quickly approaching the remarkable milestone of spending €1 billion on incoming transfers this summer. The English league has already splurged an incredible €870 million during the summer transfer window, which has been open for less than two weeks.

It is highly likely that by the end of the week, the Premier League will successfully reach the €1 billion mark with upcoming transfers of West Ham midfielder Declan Rice to Arsenal for €123 million, and Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana making a move to Manchester United for €60 million.

Impressively, these figures have been achieved with the European transfer window still in its early stages. Despite the emerging competition from the Saudi Pro League, the Premier League shows no signs of slowing down and is poised to break spending records once again.

Among the notable spenders, Arsenal is set to surpass the €200 million mark by acquiring Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, and Jurrien Timber. Meanwhile, Tottenham currently holds the title for the highest spenders in England, having secured the signings of five players for a total of €136 million.

Liverpool, on the other hand, has made substantial investments, exceeding €100 million on two players, namely Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szobozlai. Additionally, Manchester United’s expenditure will reach €125 million when Onana joins their ranks alongside newcomer Mason Mount.

Although Chelsea has only just begun their spending spree, they are already nearing the €100 million mark. Notably, Newcastle broke the transfer fee record for a Milanese and Italian player by acquiring Sandro Tonali for €70 million.

Brighton, Brenford, and Wolves have also shown their financial muscle, each surpassing €50 million in spending so far.

In terms of net spend, the Premier League currently stands at -€382 million, outshining Serie A (€71 million), La Liga (€-20 million), and the Bundesliga (€187 million in the green).

These staggering figures once again highlight the vast economic gap between the Premier League and other European leagues. Consequently, it is no surprise that fans outside of England express their dissatisfaction with the lack of competitive balance and equality in club football today.

As the years pass, this trend continues to grow, widening the gap between the Premier League and the rest of Europe. The league’s superior economic might raises concerns about the future of football, emphasizing the

By Stephen Awino

stephenawino180582@daystar.ac.ke

The World Rugby Under 20 Trophy tournament is set to kick off this coming Saturday at the Nyayo National Stadium.

Spain and the USA are the latest teams to arrive in Nairobi for the tournament, totalling to six teams that have touched down. The other teams include Hong Kong, Scotland, Uruguay and Samoa.

Four matches will be played on Saturday as Scotland open the tournament against Zimbabwe. Uruguay will take on the USA as Spain face Hong Kong. The hosts, Kenya, will play Samoa.

The series of matches spanning four days, will see the team that emerges victorious earn promotion to the U20 Championship scheduled for 2024.

The World Rugby U20 Trophy is making a comeback having taken a long hiatus due the pandemic.

By Stephen Awino

stephenawino180582@daystar.ac.ke

After a long summer break and the opening of the summer transfer window, Europe’s top five leagues have kicked off pre-season ahead of the of the 2023/24 season.

Manchester United comfortably beat Leeds by two goals to nothing in their first match of pre-season. Goals scored Noam Emeran and Joe Hugill in the 67th and 81st minute respectively, eased the red devils past the whites.

Manchester United new boy Mason Mount started the match alongside first teamers, Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Jadon Sancho. Key players like Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro are yet to join the squad.

The Red Devils will travel to Scotland ahead of their match against French side Lyon. Afterwards they will travel to the US to take on Premier League rivals Arsenal.