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The highly exhilarating tournament, the best export from Europe to the rest of the world that is the football masterpiece called English Premier League (EPL) ended last weekend.
That calls for celebrations, especially for supporters of Chelsea, which won the league many, many weeks before the final whistle was blown; a thing that should never happen in an extremely competitive tournament.
But as Chelsea supporters worldwide celebrate, the end of the league ushers in a time to mourn in Kenya. EPL has become part and parcel of our lives, just like M-Pesa, and the end of it always comes with many unintended consequences.
To begin with, the first to take a hit following the hiatus are the sports betting companies. How will the companies make their money without the biggest football tournament in the world?
Ask differently, what will the millions of Kenyan fans trying to live off betting bet on as Chelsea, Tottenham and the lacklustre Arsenal and Manchester United cool their heels off.
One would have thought that the La Liga, the Spanish league would offer some relief, but unfortunately it also ended on May 21 with Real Madrid picking the trophy ahead of Barcelona.
You may say that we have our local league, which can always give us a shoulder to lean on, but just a thought, who would want to put money on the testosteroneless AFC Leopards and many other unpredictable games in the local league?
The sevens rugby team should also have offered some soft-landing for betting companies and their fans until EPL resumes on August 4. But in all fairness, can you bet on a team that loses 47-0?
Away from betting, relationships will also feel the pinch of the EPL break. Many men use the EPL as an alibi to stay away from their nagging wives or girlfriends.
But with the end of the games, what will they say when they are away from home or when they miss a date? Watching cricket at the local? The next three months or so are, therefore, going to be chaotic as many men will be caught between a rock and a hard place.
Staying at home with your wife, especially during the weekend, is a tricky affair, as that is when you will be reminded that you have never sharpened the pencil for your son or you last bought salt five years ago.
Sadly, now one has to find a good excuse to be away on Sunday afternoon when there is no EPL match lest you are accused of seeing another woman. Expect so many heartbreaks and wrangles between spouses these three months.
Moving on, like chang’aa or beer, EPL makes many forget about their problems. It is the opium that many smoke to forget that the government unveiled a Sh90 unga that is unavailable in shops two weeks later.
It is the drug that makes many forget that they cannot afford to take breakfast because sugar is going at Sh200 per kilo. So with the end of the EPL, expect more agitation from the masses, especially due to high commodity prices as politics dominate many discussions.
Those young men in market centres or bus stops will have nothing to talk about but the “two horse” race as elections loom.
Lastly, bar owners must also prepare to take a cut on their profits as the number of revellers would dwindle without the EPL. And ooh, I was forgetting. That familiar Monday morning greeting, ‘tuliwatwanga’, also takes a break.
