AFC Leopards coach Fred Ambani

AFC Leopards head coach Fred Ambani has made a rallying call to the fans following their relatively underwhelming opening draw against Sofapaka last weekend.

AFC Leopards head coach Fred Ambani has urged patience from fans after Ingwe opened their 2025/26 FKF Premier League campaign with a 1-1 draw against Sofapaka at the Ulinzi Sports Complex last weekend.

Sofapaka took an early lead through Satala Djafari just five minutes into the clash, before Boniface Kweyu equalised soon after to ensure the points were shared. 

The result also extended Batoto Ba Mungu’s impressive run against Ingwe, with Leopards now winless in their last 11 meetings since 2020.

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Speaking after the match, Ambani admitted his side made a shaky start but praised the players for recovering to salvage a point.

“We didn’t start well, I’ll admit that. Conceding in the first minute really disrupted what we had planned,” said Ambani.

“But credit to the players — they recollected themselves and came back to score. It’s not the result we expected, but at least we walk away with a point. We just need patience. 

“It’s still early in the season, and we have new players who are yet to fully blend and adapt to our style. With time, they’ll understand each other better. Overall, I believe we have a good team.”

Leopards will have a two-week break before their next league outing, a period Ambani believes will be key in ironing out issues.

“The break is very important. It gives us time to work with the new signings and help them settle into the squad. 

“It also allows us to address the mistakes we saw today and improve before the next match. Step by step, we’ll get stronger,” he said.

In a statement released Wednesday, September 24, the club confirmed their fixture against Nairobi United (Naibois) will not take place this week as initially scheduled.

This is because Nairobi United will be hosting Uganda’s NEC FC in the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round tie at Nyayo Stadium on Saturday, September 27.

Ingwe will now return to action on Friday, October 3, when they face Posta Rangers — who opened their season with a 2-1 win over Mathare United — at a venue yet to be confirmed.