Why FKF tossed away Mafro deal
What you need to know:
- During the unveiling ceremony, FKF announced that the deal was worth Sh75 million to provide playing kits for all national football teams over the next three years.
- FKF was to also pocket Sh15 million (Sh5 million a year) directly.
Football Kenya Federation have terminated their kit sponsorship contract with Singapore-based apparel firm Mafro barely three months after the much-hyped partnership was officially announced.
According to FKF, Mafro have failed to deliver on any of their obligations as spelled out in the contract signed on May 22.
“We cannot continue to live in a state of limbo. The men and women’s national teams are very active at the moment, but the company has not delivered the kits as per the contract.
“We tried to have them terminate the contract amicably but they refused, so now we have formally given them a notice of termination,” FKF Communications officer Barry Otieno said on Saturday.
BIG DEAL
During the unveiling ceremony, FKF announced that the deal was worth Sh75 million to provide playing kits for all national football teams over the next three years.
FKF was to also pocket Sh15 million (Sh5 million a year) directly.
Mafro was expected to provide 600 pieces of uniform for every national team category of both senior and junior national football teams.
The company was also supposed to provide replica jerseys to be sold at Sh2,500 at major supermarkets, malls and sports apparel shops.
The jersies have however used only once by the men’s senior team (during the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sierra Leone in June) with the national under 13, and women’s national teams having to use Uhisport kits both in friendly and official engagements in the last three months.
Mafro was FKF’s first kit sponsorship deal since April 2015 when a two-year kitting deal for the Under-17, U-20, U-23 and the senior team was finalised with Joma under then president Sam Nyamweya.
In the recent past, Kenyan national teams have won the Kelme, Joma and Uhisport.
Mafro, a Singapore-based sports apparel company, pride themselves in having sports products specifically designed for the African market, and are the official kit partners for the Zambian and Zimbabwean national teams.
