Cancellation of KPL TV rights deal a big win for forces of evil

What you need to know:

  • The two Kilkenny cats are reputed to have fought and devoured each other in anger till only their tails remained!
  • The contention is of course infantile but at least it points to the ferocity of their war.
  • We have lamented, we have cajoled, we have subtly abused, we have called names, we have done almost everything we can in this column to try and get the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and the Kenya Premier League (KPL) to reach an agreement and help develop football in this country.

The two Kilkenny cats are reputed to have fought and devoured each other in anger till only their tails remained! The contention is of course infantile but at least it points to the ferocity of their war.

We have lamented, we have cajoled, we have subtly abused, we have called names, we have done almost everything we can in this column to try and get the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and the Kenya Premier League (KPL) to reach an agreement and help develop football in this country. All our efforts have fallen on muted ears.

Just when we were happy that we have pulled up 10 places in Fifa ranking; just when we were about to celebrate and give thumbs up to those that have made it possible; just when we were hungering for better performance; a stench akin to that of concentrated urine assaulted us from such direction with the news that pay television channel SuperSport has terminated its contract with KPL.

Kenyan football, after 10 years of growth, has been relegated back to the darkness it seems to deserve; the obscurity that both the KPL and FKF have been waging war to return it to! They have finally won. For us it is one step forward and two steps backwards.

Dirty fingers are being pointed left and right while trying to apportion blame but that is no consolation to us. KPL would have us believe that it is FKF that has caused this mess while FKF, on its dirty part, try to prove otherwise.

They are both right in the middle of the quagmire they caused  and we suspect those shady characters are now having the best time of their lives while laughing like evil cartoon characters! Those villains are very happy.

Indeed, for the past 10 years, KPL has never disclosed just how much money it gets from the SuperSport deal. It has been an internal affair and anyone seeking to know must have looked nosey to them.

It was their money. There are estimates that they get Sh500,000; some sources put it at Sh400 million while the most conservative assume it is Sh300 million. The winner of the league gets a paltry Sh4 million and the end season gala costs just Sh1 million.

Where the rest of the money goes has never been sniffed at all. This secrecy in terms of money has always made the FKF brigade salivate in the most embarrassing manner. Like crocuta crocuta (the spotted hyena, also known as the laughing hyena), they have been snapping trying to get at it in any way possible while KPL has been guarding it in the most impressive manner.

The chicken have finally come home to roost and a soprano voice was raised intimating that FKF will soon meet with SuperSport and strike a deal. He may yet get it but the soil he had to put on the league for his ends will not be forgotten.

Betting companies have been a boon to many clubs in Kenya. It is a new phenomenon but it caught up so fast such that the government felt that it too must be fed from the coffers. During the budget, a 50 per cent tax was slapped on the gamblers which of course means that they may pull out of the sponsorships.

Coupled with the fact that the teams they sponsor will not be seen on television, they will not put their money in shadows! The betting companies are also giving loads of cash to KPL and the secretive body has not seen fit to tell the public just how much they take from there. It shall never divulge monetary awards since for them it is top secret.

At the moment, the folly of football management in this country is giving us ulcers. Choices have consequences and it seems sports management only attracts the worst amongst us in this sad country!

Just when a local football match was taking place, we espied one big KPL fellow. He was watching an English premier league match and really celebrating. They should all be deported to England together with the reedy voice so that they leave us alone!