Mediocrity begets mediocrity: Sad state of Kenyan football
What you need to know:
- This had peaked during the time when SuperSport was broadcasting the matches live. The deal broke with our own bickering and some 18 club league being forced down their throats! Did they know the effect? We suppose they knew but were gaining nothing from it.
- All that is water under the bridge. We are in pain mode at the moment and we must get a palliative soon or we will become irrelevant.
After the shame of Gor Mahia voyage to Morocco the dust has settled and the same faces still are held straight explaining away the issue.
It is a wonder but not in this country. The great everlasting chairman Ambrose Rachier absolved the club officials from any blame regarding the bungled travel plans to Morocco for their Caf Confederation Cup match last weekend.
He instead said the chaos was contributed to after the Ministry of Sports failed to confirm their travel plans on time.
“In early April, I met top Sports Ministry officials who agreed to provide us with 30 air tickets. A week later, we were asked to collect the same but the same were not ready,” he explained.
He also had to threaten the players again by pointing a sharp finger at some players and blaming them for fomenting rebellion in the team and promised that the club will take disciplinary action against the culprits.
With that, he relaxed and now will go on with the tiring job he is unsuited for.
There are many people who believe that he is doing a great job at the club and that he even spends his own money on the club in the tune of millions.
That could be true, but why does one bother to seek re-election and even campaign for a post that only gives one persistent headaches and financial losses? Why not just give up and do something worthwhile? Is he a glutton for punishment?
We know it isn’t easy to run a club in Kenya especially at the moment when corporate apathy to football and sports in general is at its highest. There are many clubs right in the Kenyan Premier League that are tottering on the brink of bankruptcy or are already bankrupt.
The situation is dire but we must try new ideas that can raise them. One of the ideas is to have new managers and directors of these clubs.
They can even be turned into companies with boards of directors’ et al. This means that they will have to be audited thoroughly and people held responsible for any fraud.
This is one thing that the chairmen hate most. Even when we say that the corporates are turning their backs on Kenyan football, it is not entirely true. There are individuals whose “cut” must be included in the deal before any sponsorship is agreed to!
Kenyans would rather watch the English Premier League than the local matches. We cannot blame them at all since the standards are so low and unattractive. To sell our football to them, we must make it more vibrant and fascinating.
This had peaked during the time when SuperSport was broadcasting the matches live. The deal broke with our own bickering and some 18 club league being forced down their throats! Did they know the effect? We suppose they knew but were gaining nothing from it.
All that is water under the bridge. We are in pain mode at the moment and we must get a palliative soon or we will become irrelevant.
