Financial challenges facing clubs hurt local footballers
What you need to know:
- Chemelil Sugar and Mathare United meanwhile, are among the most notorious when it comes to defaulting on payments.
Kenyan Premier League footballers are struggling to deliver on the pitch owing to financial challenges affecting the game, says Kenya Footballers Association (Kefwa) chairman James Situma.
The Kenya international and Kakamega Homeboyz player made this revelation at a national football symposium held in Nairobi this past week.
The symposium, organised by the Jaza Stadi, initiative was attended by hundreds of delegates, among them Sports Principal Secretary Kirimi Kaberia, Football Kenya Federation president Nick Mwendwa, Kenyan Premier League Chief Executive Officer Jack Oguda, former Harambee Stars captain Musa Otieno, his successor Victor Wanyama, and media personality Carol Radull.
“Some clubs have not paid their players for the past five months. We have repeatedly ask for meetings with league administrators to address this matter but they have ignored us,” Situma claimed.
“This has affected the standards of our performances. We cannot perform on hungry stomachs.”
Nation Sport understands Kakamega Homeboyz, Tusker, Bandari, Zoo Kericho and Ulinzi Stars are the few teams in the 18-team Kenyan Premier League that pay dues to players and other staff on time. Chemelil Sugar and Mathare United meanwhile, are among the most notorious when it comes to defaulting on payments.
The sugar millers, for example, have not paid their players for the past four months.
“This has been the most challenging year for the League since we took charge 12 years ago. At the start of the season, we didn’t have a sponsor and were not in a position to offer grants to clubs as we normally do. The clubs have really struggled,” Oguda confirmed.
“Funding is the main challenge in football. I am trying to assist bring sponsors on board but this sport has a very dodgy record in terms of accountability dating way back,” Kaberia responded.
Meanwhile, Otieno has urged the government to improve on the state of infrastructure and especially the pitches so as to aid footballers to play 'attractive' football this encouraging fans to come to the stadium.
Situma’s revelation comes a week after the Daily Nation and NTV aired documentaries dubbed ‘The Penalty’, which highlighted how dozens of talented footballers and coaches have been lured into crime because of little or no pay on the pitch.
