Capital FM out to defend Standard Chartered Trophy

Capital FM team are the first African team to win the Standard Chartered Trophy.PHOTO/File

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 8 – Capital FM will be out to defend its world title when the fifth edition of the Standard Chartered Road to Anfield 5-aside football tournament will be held February 25 at Nairobi’s St Mary’s grounds.

However, unlike last year where the winner earned a direct ticket to a lifetime four-day fully paid trip to Anfield, the home of English Premier League side Liverpool FC, organisers announced that the 2017 edition will feature a regional qualifying tournament that will incorporate Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

The three nations will host qualifying tournaments in their respective countries with the local winners travelling to Tanzania to take part in the East Africa Regional final to fight for qualification to the international competition in Liverpool.

This year the annual tournament has attracted 32 teams, comprising Standard Chattered clients and media partners who will battle for the single slot to represent Kenya in the regional tournament.

“I would like to thank all the teams that have participated in this exciting tournament over the last four years and your continued participation has made it very competitive in Kenya. We have endeavoured to make this year even more interesting, booking a ticket for the 2017 Standard Chartered Trophy will indeed be competitive,” Standard Chartered CEO Lamin Manjang said.

The Capital FM team will be looking to emulate its last year performance to defend the Road to Anfield title.PHOTO/File

“Last year we had a very exciting winner that’s Capital FM, they not only won the local tournament in Kenya but went ahead to win in Liverpool. They really did Kenya and Africa proud in that football tournament,” Manjang added.

The overall winner will also have a chance to attend an English Premier League match at Anfield, and professional training session with Liverpool FC legends and coaches.

This year the participating markets are hosts United Kingdom, Singapore, India, Hong Kong, South Korea, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana and Gambia.

Capital FM is the first African team to win the Standard Chartered Trophy title after beating two-time champions South Korea 3-2 in a thrilling final last year that saw the competition played under floodlight for the first time.

The Best Mix of Music team will be looking to repeat their 2016 stellar performance that saw them thrash rivals Radio Africa Group 3-0 in an entertaining final played at Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani to be crowned Kenya champions.

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