Abich: Veteran Nairobi City Stars defender retires from active football

Nairobi City Stars Noah Abich has retired from active football ahead of the 2020/21 season and joined the club's technical bench.

The defender has been one of the longest-serving players in Kenya football since breaking into the limelight back in 2003 with Nzoia Sugar.

He has since played for 12 teams including Tusker FC, Bandari FC, AFC Leopards, and Sofapaka, among others.

"I wish to make it official that I have retired from football as a player," Abich told Nairobi City Stars' website.

"You can now refer to me as a coach as that is my new direction. 

"It has been a long journey that has had highs and lows. I am now at a point where I want to give back by nurturing the next crop of players. 

"I thank City Stars for allowing me to wind down my playing days and for ultimately giving me the opportunity at their technical bench to start my coaching journey at a high level."

Simba wa Nairobi CEO Patrick Korir revealed the former left-back is in the club's long term plan.

"We thank him for his dedication and diligence to the team and will support him as he scales upward to coaching," the administrator was quoted by the club's official portal.

"He is part of a long-term plan and we will endeavour to build his capacity as we go along."  

Abich has been turning out for the Nairobi-based team since April 2019 and played a huge role in helping the team get promoted to the Kenyan Premier League (KPL).

"He has been a dedicated servant who gave his all on the pitch," Samson Otieno, who is the club's coordinator, said.

"We counted on him to survive relegation when the team needed an experienced hand in the 2018/19 season and he came through for us in a big way with important deliveries and goals. 

"It is now our turn to hold his hand as he ventures into the other side of his career which is coaching."

While at Tusker, Abich won the league title and in 2008 and 2015, he was the best scoring defender for, Sony Sugar and Mathare United, respectively.