For the past year or so, the state of Kenyan football has been deteriorating with no clear signs of a solution being found in the near future. The situation was made worse when giant betting firm Sportpesa closed operations in the country and with it went the sponsorship deal the company had with the league.
Calls have been made by fans and stakeholders in football for the national government to fund the sport but in this article, we highlight why the government needs to think twice before making such a move.
Fanbase
Last Sunday, the CAF Confederations Cup qualifier match pitting Bandari against Horoya FC from Guinea at the Kasarani Stadium was a free entry event. Having lost the first leg 4-2, Bandari needed to win by two clear goals.
However, despite an added incentive from the Football Kenya Federations to fans, less than 2000 people turned up to watch the match. Bandari eventually lost 1-0 and was knocked out of the competition. Why would the government invest in a sport that is not even followed in the country?
Commitment from fans will lead to a commitment from the government too!
Management
Football is a sport that needs high-quality management from top to bottom. It is exactly why it is a sad sight watching Kenya’s biggest clubs constantly begging for money.
This shows that the little the clubs make is not properly managed and only benefits a few individuals. Furthermore, the Football Kenya Federation Chairman Nick Mwendwa is currently at a loss trying to account for kshs 244 million allocated to the Federation for the Harambee Stars preparations prior to the Africa Cup Of Nations Tournament in June this year.
We need to clean our houses first!
Players Professionalism
A good measure of how serious football is in Kenya has to be by how the players conduct themselves. Most of them lack professionalism and can be seen in the hoods chilling in the Mogoka chewing on Miraa and smoking.
A professional footballer should take care of his body first as it is literally the main tool in his trade. Raise professional standards before the government can raise funds to support the sport!