There is one thing that doesn’t know race, tribe, nationality, status or gender. It is a wonder; it unites us all through division. We are back  at it again after a two month break. It is the beautiful game of football.

The European leagues are back with us again with the most popular one being the English Premier League, the reason being that its very competitive and unpredictable. It’s the kind of league where the top six clubs are each in a position to win it even when it’s only 10 games to go. Meanwhile the bottom six teams fight the relegation battle to the very last game as witnessed last season which saw Blackpool, Birmingham relegated on the last day and West Ham United relegated with one game to go. The more the years pass by the more competitive it gets as emerging clubs get stronger and stronger, threatening dominant clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Back here in Kenya, one of our biggest challenges is curbing the issue of tribalism …. We’re still fighting the vice which is mostly sparked by politics. Amazingly, football has a way of bringing people from all sorts of backgrounds together to play, watch and enjoy the game, and to break down barriers created by ignorance or prejudice. We tend to forget about our tribal lines in support for our favorite clubs. It’s a good social tool as we meet new people in social places like pubs. We discuss about how a particular match was, and the latest transfer gossip and how the club is fairing financially (you would think we’ve got shares in those clubs).

It’s now time to sit back and enjoy another long and exciting 2011 – 2012 season. Will Arsenal finally win a major trophy (besides their own Emirates Cup) after a six year trophy drought? Will Chelsea break United’s wining sequence under their new coach? Or…will Liverpool reclaim their position by knocking Manchester United off the perch? Will Manchester City win more trophies or even surprise everyone by winning the league? Game on!!