Let's take the lead in cleaning up football

President Uhuru Kenyatta has promised that the Government would soon meet with Football Kenya Federation and other football stakeholders to address hooliganism in the beautiful game and restore order in football management.

While hosting Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions, Gor Mahia, at State House, Nairobi yesterday, the President also pledged to help the club get sponsorship. Kenya’s most successful football club won the league last season without a jersey sponsor after Tuzo pulled out citing hooliganism associated with the club’s fans. This should never happen again.

Kenyan football managers must go back to the drawing board and radically change the face of the most popular game.

Without chaos in the stadiums, without constant wrangles in football management, without incessant bickering in clubs and without money disputes the legions of fans of various football clubs across the country will troop back to the stadium. In the process, corporates eyeing the free publicity will come calling on all the KPL clubs.

With the right structures and Government policies in place, the country will be able to tap into the huge talent currently wasting away due to challenges that can be confronted. The Ministry of Sports should take the lead in cleaning up the game.

The proposed Sports Bill, which is with a committee for harmonisation and a few amendments, could be a good start in taking sports to a higher level.

Sports has the potential to create jobs and the investment is not capital intensive. Just a few shillings and dedication will help build on the billion dollar industry in the developed world.