Sofapaka & Naivas FC learn date for must-win promotion playoff

Sofapaka will face Naivas FC in the FKF Premier League promotion-relegation playoff on July 6 and 14 to determine if they will retain their top flight status or if they will be relegated.

Batoto ba Mungu escaped automatic relegation when they finished 16th on the FKF Premier League table but they will have to win the two-legged playoff to avoid losing their 15-year stay in the top flight.

Naivas FC clinched a playoff spot following a crucial 1-0 victory over SS Assad in Ukunda on Sunday.

The decisive goal came from former Sofapaka FC striker Robert Karisa, securing Naivas’ place ahead of Nairobi United.

Nairobi United also emerged victorious, delivering a resounding 7-0 win against relegated Silibwet in Bomet.

Despite their impressive performance, they fell short by just one point, finishing fourth with 75 points, compared to Naivas’ 76 points.

With the regular season concluded, Naivas FC will now face the 2009 champions, Sofapaka, in the high-stakes league playoff.

It is an unfamiliar territory for Sofapaka who had a season to forget and only escaped automatic relegation on the final day of the season.

Naivas will not be any pushovers for Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno’s men given they had been one of the most impressive teams in the second tier National Super League before fizzling out in the final weeks of the season.

The first leg of the playoff will be crucial for both teams as victory will leave them with a lot less to do in the return match.