Giants bite dust but GOtv Shield competition in need of values

Kariobangi Sharks' Ibrahim Kitawi (left) with Newton Mugo celebrate second goal against FC Talanta during Super League Nationwide match at Nyayo National Stadium on Wednesday, Sept 7, 2016. [PHOTO: JONAH ONYANGO/STANDARD]

Posta Rangers, KCB, Ulinzi and Kariobangi Sharks are in the semi-finals of football’s oldest cup competition in Kenya – the GOtv Shield.

The teams having never won the tournament before, we will surely have a new winner. Interestingly, the four made it to this stage after penalty shootouts.

Periodically, quality of tournaments have been judged by the ability of hitherto small teams to upstage the big boys like in this scenario where Super League side KCB eliminated Western Stima, while minnows Kariobangi Sharks shocked holders Bandari.

I may as well be the only one who thinks this is not the case. The small teams are merely enjoying the gargantuan vacuum left by the not-so-serious big boys. Honestly speaking, this tournament is not given the seriousness it deserves.

The glory of the domestic cup competition has continually deteriorated over the years. There seems not to be any value attached to it. In rank, yes, it is second to the Premier League, but can’t we find a value addition to our oldest cup competition?

For the second year running, Mathare United opted out of the domestic cup giving flimsy reasons like ‘avoiding unnecessary injuries... concentrating on winning the league (which they never win anyway)... inadequate funding...’ When top clubs like Chemelil Sugar, Sofapaka, Nairobi City Stars and Mathare United continually look for reasons to skip the tournament, that speaks volumes.

Worldwide, Cup competition is held to treasure tradition and values of the sport or any significant events in a country. Ours is planned and held haphazardly, almost bordering on afterthought. Clubs therefore see no compelling reason to commit to participating in it however much we periodically try to rename it. It appears re-branding, to us, starts and ends with new names.

When the competition bore the name Moi Golden Cup, at least President Moi used to grace some of the matches. For 17 years, between 1986 and 2002, the final was staged on Moi Day, every October 10. And that, to me, is a mark of direction at the very least. Well, we all know winning the competition comes with Sh2 million and a continental ticket to boot, but on a national frontier, a cup competition needs some historical tradition, some significance; something that rallies the nation behind it.

With proper strategy around the competition, more historically relevant themes like Mashujaa or Mau Mau could be used to galvanise the entire nation around the sport. There must be a difference between Kenya’s oldest Cup competition and a tournament organised to celebrate the opening of a village cattle dip or those Min Omolo Kanyunja Cup in my village organised to popularise politicians on the eve of elections.

Tom Bwana is a football analyst

@TomBwana