Shabana Football Club, more commonly known as Shabana or Shabana Kisii, is a professional

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

club based in

Kisii Kisii may refer to: * Kisii, Kenya, a municipality and the capital of Kisii County * Kisii County, one of the 47 counties of Kenya * Kisii District, a former district of Kenya * Gucha District, in Kenya, also known as ''South Kisii District'' * Nya ...

, currently playing in the

FKF Premier League The Kenyan Premier League (KPL), officially known as the FKF Premier League, is a professional league for men's football clubs in Kenya. Standing at the top of the Kenyan football league system, the league was formed in 1963 under the Kenya Foo ...

History

Shabana Football Club was founded in 1980 by Kisii-based businessman Dogo Khan. The club quickly rose through the ranks of Kenyan football and finished third in the 1987 Kenyan First Division with 50 points, behind Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards. This performance earned them qualification to the 1988 edition of the African Cup of Champions Clubs, the predecessor to the CAF Champions League. The club experienced a major setback in 2006 due to a dispute over its relegation from the

Kenyan Premier League The Kenyan Premier League (KPL), officially known as the FKF Premier League, is a professional league for men's football clubs in Kenya. Standing at the top of the Kenyan football league system, the league was formed in 1963 under the Kenya Foo ...

. Shabana was expected to compete in the second-tier Nationwide League, but refused to participate, insisting they still belonged in the Premier League, which did not re-admit them. Consequently, Shabana did not participate in any league competition in 2007. The club later regrouped under the new name Gusii United Football Club and eventually returned to competitive football. Shabana continued their rise, winning the second-tier league title in 2014 and earning promotion after topping Zone B of the

FKF Division One FKF Division One is the third tier in the Kenyan football league system. It has a promotion and relegation system with the Kenyan National Super League and the Kenyan Provincial League. It is controlled by the Football Kenya Federation. Most m ...

. On 28 October 2018, Shabana earned promotion to the

Kenyan National Super League The Kenyan National Super League (also referred to as Betika Super League for sponsorship reasons ) is the second tier of the Kenyan football league system, with a promotion and relegation system with the Kenyan Premier League and FKF Division ...

after defeating Mwatate United in a penalty shootout. The match ended 1–1 in regulation time and was played at the Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi. Shortly afterward, on 28 November 2018, Gilbert Selebwa was appointed head coach, assisted by Kanuli Rix. Selebwa later resigned in October 2019 due to a salary dispute. In the 2022/2023 season, Shabana finished top of the

, sealing promotion to the

after defeating Kisumu All Stars in the final match of the season at a fully packed

Gusii Stadium Gusii Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Kisii, Kenya. It is used mostly for football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. U ...

. Shabana FC currently plays its home matches at

, a significant landmark for the club’s large fanbase. ---

Performance in CAF competitions

African Cup of Champions Clubs The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and formerly the African Cup of Champions Clubs, is an annual club football competition organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) a ...

: 1 appearance ::

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

: First Round.

References

Association football clubs established in 1980 Kenyan National Super League clubs FKF Division One clubs Sport in Nyanza Province Football clubs in Kenya 1980 establishments in Kenya {{Kenya-footyclub-stub