Clubs stare at millions of shillings in lost revenue

What you need to know:

  • The implications of SuperSport’s exit from the Kenyan Premier League football are getting clearer two days after the South African pay television station say bye bye.
  • It is now certain that - in the interim - the Sh300 million hole yawning in KPL’s budget following the South African based pay television station’s decision to terminate their partnership, will be felt far and wide.
  • Here is why. Kenyan Premier League chief executive officer Jack Oguda has also confirmed to Nation Sport that each of the 18 clubs in the league were to be granted Sh8 million this season if the five-year arrangement with SuperSport which lapses in 2021 remained in place.

The implications of SuperSport’s exit from the Kenyan Premier League football are getting clearer two days after the South African pay television station say bye bye.

It is now certain that - in the interim - the Sh300 million hole yawning in KPL’s budget following the South African based pay television station’s decision to terminate their partnership, will be felt far and wide.

Here is why. Kenyan Premier League chief executive officer Jack Oguda has also confirmed to Nation Sport that each of the 18 clubs in the league were to be granted Sh8 million this season if the five-year arrangement with SuperSport which lapses in 2021 remained in place.

“Without SuperSport funds, we will now have to slash that budget by at least a half,” said Oguda.

What’s more, the players and coaches personal welfare will be severely affected, considering most clubs normally channel SuperSport funds to payment of salaries, allowances and bonuses to players and coaches.

The money also meets the clubs’ other basic needs such as provision of water for training and other petty cash expenses.

“It is always sad to note, day in day out of the disorder in football and these leaves the players with many questions. SuperSport leaving will result in low competition and the young players could be in trouble,” Tusker captain James Situma explained.

SuperSport has been the biggest investor in the Kenyan sports sector over the past decade.

The company owns state of the art studios along Ngong road in Nairobi which were officially opened by President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2013.

They also have three Outside Broadcast vans available for producing live games worth hundreds of millions of shillings, an indication of the kind of investment the South African company had made in Kenya.

Hundreds of personnel, including camera persons, presenters, analysts, producers, security personnel, among other, some flown in from South Africa on a periodic basis, who were employed by SuperSport on a permanent and part-time basis, a majority of whom directly dependent on the airing of SportPesa Premier League matches to earn a living could now be facing unemployment.

There also is, the side effects of switching off some 100 live games annually.