Harambee Stars bundled out of Mapinduzi Cup after 1-0 loss to Zanzibar
The result also increased Zanzibar’s wins over Kenya to five matches with Kenya having won in 31 of their 42 previous meetings
Harambee Stars have been knocked out of the 2025 Mapinduzi Cup following a 1-0 loss to tournament hosts Zanzibar in controversial circumstances on Friday night at the Gombani Stadium in Pemba Island.
After a goalless first half, Harambee Stars were reduced to 10 men in the 67th minute when captain Abud Omar was shown a red card for protesting a yellow card that had been given to him.
Zanzibar then sealed the win in stoppage time after substitute Ali Khatib headed in a corner taken by Fei Toto in the 93rd minute.
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Following a 1-1 draw with Burkina Faso and a 2-0 win over Tanzania in their first two matches of the tournament, Kenya went into the match needing only a draw to meet Burkina Faso in the final of the four-team friendly tournament which will take place on Monday, January 13, at the Gombani Stadium. The Mapinduzi Cup is hosted to commemorate the Zanzibar Revolution of January 12, 1964, and with the hosts set to feature in the tournament’s final, the Island will be in a carnival mood as the Zanzibar Heroes hope to lift the trophy in front of jubilant home fans.
A draw would have put Kenya on five points, two behind Burkina Faso who qualified for the final after collecting seven points from two wins (2-0 against Tanzania and 1-0 against Zanzibar) and one draw.
On their part, Zanzibar had to win the match to edge Kenya on the head-to-head record and ended up doing exactly that. However, Kenya would feel hard done by the standard of officiating as Kenya not only had most decisions going against them, but the referee added 15 minutes of injury time with Zanzibar aggressively pushing for a winner.
The victory, though controversial, is historic for Zanzibar as they had not won at home to Kenya since October 3, 1970, when they registered a 3-2 win over Kenya in that year’s CECAFA Cup..
Following their exit from the Mapinduzi Cup, Harambee Stars' focus now shifts to bolstering it preparing for CHAN 2025 which Kenya will co-host with Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda from February 1 to February 28.