Nairobi City Stars sign Japanese forward Yuto

FKF Premier League side Nairobi City Stars have announced the signing of Japanese forward Yuto Kusaba.

This exciting addition to the Nairobi-based squad was confirmed via an official statement released by the club on Thursday.

Nairobi City Stars announcement

While the statement did not disclose the specific details of Kusaba’s contract with the club, it warmly welcomed him to The Den.

“Yuto Kusaba signs as a Nairobi City Stars Player. Joining from Fc Zenshin…𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐠𝐨, confirmed. Welcome to The Den,” the club announced.

For Yuto Kusaba, this signing marks a significant milestone in his career and fulfils a personal dream of becoming the first Asian player to participate in Kenya’s top-tier football league.

He expressed his ambitions via a social media post in March 2023, outlining his goals, which included learning both English and Swahili.

In his post, Kusaba shared his aspirations: “Aiming to become the first Asian player in Kenya to sign a professional contract in the first division. To achieve this, I left my university club in the fourth year and joined J6. I am dedicated to working hard in Kenya and studying English and Swahili, all in pursuit of creating a society where everyone can continue to follow their dreams.”

Before joining Nairobi City Stars, Kusaba plied his trade with Easy Akashi.

As the club welcomes Kusaba, they bid farewell to seven players who have departed. This list included Anthony Kimani, a veteran of nearly two decades in professional football who recently retired, Kennedy Onyango, who joined Gor Mahia, and Herrit Mungai, Jacob Osano, and experienced goalkeeper Steve Njunge.

Salim Abdallah and Ezekiel Odera, who faced allegations of match-fixing and were subsequently suspended, complete the list of departing players from Simba wa Nairobi.