AL Ahly Sporting Club

After being named by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as the African club of the century, Al Ahly sporting club has for more than a decade taken pride in referring to themselves as the club of the century. With over 130 official trophies, it can be arguably noted that Al Ahly is the greatest club in the world. This Egyptian football club is the most decorated club not only in Africa but in the entire world. Since its formation in 1907 by the leaders of Cairo's students' union, Al Ahly has never been relegated and is the most decorated club in Egyptian football, as well as in Africa. It is this astonishing success in the field that has enabled this one-of-a-kind club to have an amazing number of followers, which is reported to be over 50 million and only second to Benfica and Barcelona who are said to have more than 100 million followers each.

As the leaders of both African and Arabian football, Al Ahly takes delight in being recognized for its top-notch organization both on the field and in its business dealings. As a highly valuable and marketable brand, Al Ahly has dominated almost every competition that it has participated in and was the first club in the world to participate in two consecutive FIFA club world cup tournaments, a feat mastered only by another great African side, TP Mazembe. Again, it was the first African club to win a medal at the tournament when they won bronze in 2006. However, this feat was surpassed by TP Mazembe when they won silver in 2010.

The North African giants are famous for their red shirt and white shorts, which has been the club's main kit since its inauguration. The only change that has been evolving in this now-famous jersey is the club’s crest, which has been significantly changed three times. The club is closely tied with Egypt’s struggles as a country and is well-known to be playing their home matches at the Cairo international stadium. This was after moving from Mokhtar El-Tetsh stadium, which was deemed as too small for the club's matches. Al Ahly is also a club known for its fan groups, commonly referred to as ultras with the ultras Ahlawy being the most notorious one of all the groups.

Being draped with success in almost every season since 1940, Al Ahly's most illustrious season came a decade ago in 2005 when the team went the entire season unbeaten in almost all the competitions they participated in. In that entire season, the team only lost one match at the FIFA club world cup. Without a doubt, this is an achievement that may never be emulated in the world of football. It is such amazing and unheard of feat that has made Al Ahly become more than a club in terms of development. With many firsts to its name, Al Ahly is known as the first club in Africa to own a TV channel belonging to the club. Al Ahly TV has been so crucial in its marketing and is just one of the reasons why Al Ahly will still remain the most successful club in Africa. However, time will tell whether the club continues to perform exceptionally well as they have done so far.

TP Mazembe : The Light of Lubumbashi

Tout Puissant Mazembe or TP Mazembe as the club is famously known, has a contrasting and unique footballing history. The club is known as the Ravens, even though their logo is famous for having a crocodile with a ball in its mouth, this well-known football club from Congo has a very unique beginning. It was started in 1939 in Lubumbashi by the missionaries who saw it wise to form a football club for their students who were so much dedicated to scouting activities. Little did these missionaries know that some decades later; TP Mazembe would go on to become one of the most respected clubs not only in Congo, but also in Africa.

Formerly known as F.C Englebert, a name derived from the Tyre Company that sponsored the club, early exploits both on and off the field led to the change of name to TP Mazembe. This coincided with some of the club's remarkable years when they won some of the major trophies in the club's history. These years of success kicked off in 1966 when the club won a hat trick of major national trophies including the national championship, Congo cup and Katanga cup. This achievement was subsequently followed by success at the continental level when the team won two African champions league cups, as well as reaching another two finals. It was this feat that catapulted TP Mazembe to world recognition and is known as the only African club to have defended its African cup title in the final.

Years of Anonymity

After this glorious four year period, TP Mazembe went into anonymity for the next decade, a period, which was punctuated by financial difficulties, internal wrangling within the club's hierarchy and to a bigger extent, the civil war that brought the naturally rich country of Congo to its knees. Despite all these enormous challenges, the club showed glimpses of its former glory in the 80s by winning the Cup winners cup. Again after almost four decades of absence at the continental stage, TP Mazembe recaptured its former glory by winning the African Champions League, which gave the club a ticket to the FIFA club world cup, held in Abu Dhabi in 2009. As the representatives from Africa, TP Mazembe became the first Sub Saharan club to participate in the competition, but finished in position six in a competition won by the greatest Barcelona side of all time.

A club known for its natural stubbornness and resilience, TP Mazembe triumphed at the continental stage by winning it's fourth African champions league at the backdrop of many odds, challenges and poor start. This triumph led to another appearance at the FIFA club world cup in 2010. Not held back with the previous tournament’s failure, the Lubumbashi club did what no any other African club had done and perhaps, would not do in the near future. To the amazement of every football-loving fan on the planet, TP Mazembe became the only African club to reach the final where they were narrowly beaten by Inter Milan, which had some of the game's biggest names at the time including Cameroon legend Samuel Eto'o.

Without a doubt, the appearance at the final of the FIFA club world cup was a positive sign of many things to come for the greatest club in Congo's football, TP Mazembe.

Orlando Pirates : The Buccaneers

 Orlando Pirates football club is not only one of the most famous clubs in South Africa, but also one of the oldest clubs in the country. It was formed in 1937, is famous for its full black jersey and was formerly based in Orlando Soweto, before moving to Parktown Johannesburg. The club takes pride in being the only team from South Africa to have won the CAF Champions League, a feat achieved in 1995, as well as being the first club to win three major trophies since the inception of the Premier Soccer League. Again, Orlando Pirates also prides itself as the only club in South Africa to have always been in the top 8 in the past 20 years.

As the oldest club in South Africa, Orlando Pirates has at all times been one of the best performers in the country. It is known to have provided a proper platform for young talents in the country to play football and act as an inspiration not only to players but also to other clubs such as Kaizer Chiefs and Jomo Cosmos, which were formed by breakaway factions from Orlando Pirates. Known as happy people, Orlando Pirates fans have always been associated with mine workers in the famous goldmines in South Africa. The club has constantly been an inspiration to mineworkers and is known to bring joy to their faces.

The Club's Achievements

Even though Orlando Pirates may have been surpassed in terms of trophies with their arch-rival Kaizer Chiefs, it is a club famously known for its firsts. In this regard, it is the first and the only South African club to have lifted the CAF champions league. Again, Orlando Pirates is the only South African sports team apart from the Springboks and Proteus to have achieved the Superbrand status, an accomplishment given to world-leading brands and companies. In other exploits of its firsts, Orlando Pirates is known as the only black-owned team that is the majority shareholder of one of the best stadiums in the country, Ellis Park Stadium. This feat was achieved in 2005 after the team along with other stakeholders acquired the stadium.

In terms of players, Orlando Pirates has for many years been associated with some of the biggest football names in South Africa. From the early days, the club has been known to be full of amazing talents that went on to represent the national team, as well as other internationally known football clubs. Some of the well-known club legends are Kaizer Motaung and Jomo Sono who went on to have successful playing careers before going on to form their own clubs. Kaizer Motaung is the owner and founder of Kaizer Chiefs while Jomo Sono is the owner and founder of Jomo Cosmos, another established football club in South Africa.

In terms of rivalry, Orlando Pirates' fierce rivals are another famous club Kaizer Chiefs, which is also based in Soweto. The clubs rivalry is long-lived and has been widely dubbed as the Soweto derby. Whenever the two teams meet for any match, it is always a full parked house with both the teams’ fans trying to outdo each other. As one of the best clubs in Africa, Orlando Pirates is a footballing brand that is surely entrenched in the heart of every football fan in South Africa.

Kaizer Chiefs : The Glamour Boys of Soweto

Kaizer Chiefs, famously known as the Zulu chiefs is a South African football club formed in January 1970 by one of the famous names in the country's football, Kaizer Motaung. This was after having a mildly successful soccer playing career in the United States where he is fondly remembered for having donned the jersey of Atlanta Chiefs. The name, Kaizer Chiefs, was a combination of his first name with the name of his former team Atlanta Chiefs to form Kaizer Chiefs. With the club based in Soweto Johannesburg, it plays its home matches at the Soweto FNB Stadium, which is 94,000 capacity stadium and has a highly intense rivalry with Orlando Pirates, also based in Soweto Johannesburg. 

Intense Rivalry with Orlando Pirates

To some extent, it has always been noted that Kaizer Chiefs was a team formed by a breakaway faction from Orlando Pirates. This has not only elevated the level of rivalry between these two clubs based in the same area but has also ensured that the level of competition with one another is always mouth-watering. It is because of this rivalry that fans of Orlando Pirates have never fully agreed that Kaizer Chiefs is the most successful football club in South Africa. In the real sense, it cannot be denied that Kaizer Chiefs if the most successful club in the country in terms of trophies and fan following. It is the most supported club in the country, as well as in the neighbouring countries such as Botswana, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. It is estimated that the club as a fan following slightly above 15 million, which is an amazing feat for any African football club. The high level of rivalry between Kaizer Chiefs and their rivals Orlando Pirates has always been a fanfare in every other fixture with both sets of fans trying to outdo each other in every moment of the game. However, this rivalry was tragically witnessed when 43 fans died in 2001 in what is now known as the Ellis Park Stadium disaster.

Kaizer Chiefs' Achievements

In terms of league wins, Kaizer Chiefs have won the South African football league a record 12 times. This is topped by the club's success in cup competitions where they have won more than 40 cups in different competitions. Another achievement that Kaizer Chiefs is famously known for is the club's ability to produce some of the most respected names in the footballing fraternity. One of the club's African import, as well as export, is Collins Mbesuma, the Zambian striker who was a lethal player in front of the goal, which earned him a place in the English Premier League with Portsmouth football club. Another notable name from the club was Lucas Radebe, the South African football legend who went on to captain Leeds United in England and led to the formation of a famous band in Britain known as Kaiser Chiefs, the name of Radebe's former club.

Even though Kaizer Chiefs has not tasted much success at the international stage, especially in the African Champions League, it is a force to reckon within South Africa and is categorized as one of the elite football clubs not only in South Africa but also in Africa.

Ulinzi Stars Football Club

Formed over two decades ago in the year 1995, Ulinzi Stars is widely known as the military side of Kenyan football. Ulinzi stars came into existence when several military teams combined to form one strong military side based in Nakuru town in the Rift Valley part of Kenya. This was after playing in Thika town for almost close to a decade before moving to their current stadium, which is the Afraha Stadium in Nakuru. This relocation to the Rift Valley part of Kenya coincided with the club's successful years when they won the Kenyan premier league three times in a row between 2003 and 2005.

Military Values

As the military team in the Kenyan premier league, Ulinzi stars is widely known to instil important military values to its squad members and coaching staff. This is supported by the fact that most of their members are military men who have had the opportunity of serving in the Kenyan army, air force, as well as in the navy. This is not to say that the club does not recruit non-military men, but then any recruited non-military player must be able to observe the highest orders of military and strict values. The Ulinzi stars members are military men, who are paid to represent the military in its footballing visions in the Kenyan premier league, as well as in the Africa military games and the military world games.

Limited Fan Base

As a military club, Ulinzi stars have not been able to command large following as their rivals Gor Mahia, AFC Leopards and Sofapaka. This is down to the fact that normal football fans in Kenya and East Africa, in general, do not have a connection which is that close with the military men. Nevertheless, this has not been a hindrance in the success of the team in the sense that they have won the Kenyan premier league four times, the last one being in 2010. Again, the club's limited fan base has not been a major hindrance when it comes to finances as this club is a government entity; thus fully supported financially by the Kenyan government. Even though this government's financial support `has been instrumental in the club's success, it has attracted wide criticisms from rival fans and clubs that Ulinzi stars are always favoured when it comes to officiating. In some quarters, these criticisms are said to be unfounded and do not have any logic behind them. In this sense, it is an argument that one may have favour depending on which side of the spectrum he or she aligns him/herself with.

Rivalry with Other Clubs

Going by the recent polls done on football in Kenya, it has been noted that Ulinzi stars are the most hated club in Kenya. This is at the backdrop of the fact that Ulinzi stars have some of the most intense rivalries with Gor Mahia, AFC Leopards, as well as Sofapaka. To the club itself, these rivalries are healthy to the development of the club in both the national and international fronts. It is such rivalries that will, without a doubt be the driving force behind Ulinzi stars becoming the biggest club in Kenyan football.

Sofapaka: The Children of God

Sofapaka football club is one of the newest members of the Kenyan premier league having been formed just over a decade ago in 2004. It is a club that is based on core family values with its motto famously known as: "We as a family, together we achieve a goal." This motto is derived from its core values as a club founded on strong Christian values as envisioned by its founder and owner Elly Kalekwa. Even though its history states that it was found in 2004, it is the originality of MAOS ministries football team, which was formed in 2002 and famously featured in inter-church football competitions, before Apostle Elly took over two years later and turned it into what is currently known as Sofapaka football club.

Promotion to the Top Flight

As a professional football team in Kenya, Sofapaka began featuring in the nationwide league in 2005 and was a force to reckon with even in the lower tiers of Kenyan football. This historic feat was confirmed in the year 2007 when it surprised all the top teams in Kenya to win the President's cup while still playing in the lower tier of Kenyan football. As a club based in the Kenyan capital city of Nairobi, Sofapaka surprised many football fanatics in Kenya, as well as in East and Central Africa as a club that won top-flight promotion and won the Kenyan premier league in its maiden season. This amazing feat was achieved at the backdrop of an entertaining style of football, which definitely swept the entire part of the continent. Its popularity on its maiden year at the top flight was assisted by exquisite marketing strategies that the club employed, especially on social networking at a time when other clubs in Kenya had not fully embraced social network sites as a way of connecting to the fans and as a perfect way of marketing their franchises.

Wide Following

With the exception of Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards, Sofapaka has the third-highest fan following in Kenyan football. This is partly due to its close connection to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been following this amazing club closely. Again, its status as one of the clubs that draw large crowds to its matches is due to the amazing style of play that is based on the tiki-taka philosophy of football that is mostly associated with FC Barcelona. On the same front, its undeterred brand marketing on many social network sites has elevated the club's status with the fans not only in Kenya but in the entire region of East and Central Africa.

As a club, Sofapaka is easily identified in its white and blue uniforms that have been a permanent fixture in the Kenyan premier league for the past six years. This is a club that has been known to seriously challenge the dominance of Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards in terms of fan following, which is a major shortcoming in Kenyan football. With its highly ambitious owner, it can be detrimental to bet against Sofapaka when it comes to being recognized as one of the biggest football clubs in Kenya, especially in the coming years.

Thika United Football Club

Thika United Football Club is one of the youngest teams in the top flight of Kenyan football. Formed in the year 2000 as Beirut FC, the team was formed solely with the main aim of keeping the youths away from the streets and various criminal activities such as drug use. This idea was originated by former Kenyan players who came together to form a football club just within the outskirts of this Kenya's industrial town, which was the main reason behind naming the team, the Birmingham team of Kenyan football. The current name, Thika United, was adopted three years into the existence of the young football club. This was the year that they first tasted the top flight of Kenyan football.

Promotion to the Top Flight for the First Time in 2003

Just after three years into its existence, Thika United football club was promoted into the top flight of the Kenyan premier league. Given its little experience and lack of a moving fan base, the club sailed through at the backdrop of sheer grit, a wise investment in players and coaching staff, as well as the determination that the club instils in every person that becomes its member. Lack of experience in the top flight did not deter the club's ambition of mixing with the established names in Kenyan football. One of the main driving forces behind the club's promotion to the top flight was the fact that the club is based in Thika town, the industrial town of East Africa. This background enabled the club's board members to negotiate a deal with its first sponsor Medisca, which is an Italian Pharmaceutical company, as well as Italian sports designers Kappa.

This amazing sponsorship deal, one of its kind in Kenyan football at the time lasted for two years before Thika United signed a new sponsorship deal with Brookside Dairy Limited, which is among the biggest and most established milk companies in the country. It was through the help of the management of Brookside Dairy Limited that Thika United was able to negotiate another sponsorship deal with Umbro, a world-renowned sports equipment manufacturer.

Deeply-Rooted Youth Programs

In line with the ambition of the founders, keeping youths away from the streets, Thika United has been in the forefront in organizing and running various youth development programs such as the facilitation of feeding programs and conflict resolutions for street children in Thika town and beyond. The club is also widely known for its program in association with its main sponsor Brookside to recruit young and talented players from the national football games. Indeed, this practice has made it be widely known as the club with the most impact in youthful talent in Kenyan football. This is a club that is entirely football-based and has been identified as one of the main contributors of talent to the Kenyan national football squad and its current squad has 6 members in the Kenya national team. It is again through its concentration on the youth that enables the club to contribute almost half of the current members of the under 20 and under 17 national sides in Kenya. Going by its vision, there can be no denying that Thika United is a future force in the Kenyan premier league, as well as Africa club competitions.