Feisal FC were Kenya National League champions in 1965, finishing ahead of defending champions Luo Union on goal difference.
Feisal FC of Mombasa
Established in 1940, Feisal was the team that represented the Waswahili. Most of its fans and its players were Waswahili. In 1965, they were led by “the two Alis”: Ali Sungura and Ali Kajo. They were fondly referred to as the “Ali Boys” by Feisal fans.
Ali Sungura was a fleet footed winger who could play on either wing. He was a brilliant dribbler and would take on defenders and leave them flat footed with his quick first step and cut inside towards the goal area. Ali Kajo was the opposite of Sungura. He could barely run but was an excellent finisher. He had a powerful shot which would often send shivers down the spine of opposing goalkeeper.
In between the posts, Feisal had an excellent goalkeeper in Kitwana “Popat” Manara who was the goalkeeper of the Tanzania national team aka Taifa Stars.
In midfield, Feisal had a player of Scottish descent known as Jimmy Linden. According to an account by Hartman de Souza, who was a fan of Feisal at the time, Linden was the key playmaker who created chances for Sungura and Kajo. He was popularly referred to as “Beberu” (kiswahili for European) according to De Souza.
As of 2022, Feisal’s triumph in 1965 remains the only time that a team from Coast Province has won the national league. In Subsequent years Feisal would produce more glamorous players like Kadir Farah, the greatest Kenyan footballer of Somali descent, who shone in the 1970s, as well as Livingstone Madegwa who later joined Abaluhya FC and was voted among Africa’s top 10 players. However Feisal’s star would wane and by the late 1970s, they had become a pale shadow of this formerly powerful team.
Luo Union FC in 1965
Luo Union finished second to Feisal FC on goal difference. According to RSSF, Luo Union retained the FA cup that they had won in 1964. Later in 1965, the rivalry between Tom Mboya and Oginga Odinga started to take its toll on the club. Mboya created a rival team called Luo Sports club which went on to poach some top players from Luo Union thus weakening the side.
