By Feverpitch Reporter
Kenyan Premier League (KPL) side Rangers wants a company, which promised to bankroll their campaign this season to fulfil its obligations.
Yobesh Ongeri, Rangers chairman, admitted on Tuesday that the club might be forced to close shop mid season unless their sponsor, Sameer Agriculture and Livestock Kenya Limited through their lead milk brand Daima fulfils its promise.
Ongeri noted that it will be difficult to honour fixtures in the second leg of the league if they do not secure the windfall.
“It has been difficult to honour our matches due to the financial challenges we face and we want to appeal to Daima to fulfil their promise since we had agreed on everything about the sponsorship,” said Ongeri.
He claimed Daima had given the club its word about the support and that is the reason Rangers have been using uniforms branded with the company’s logo.
“When we initially met last year to discuss the sponsorship, Daima promised us Sh15million this season and it is on that basis that we gave our players improved contracts. But now we cannot honour the same.
Keep its promise
“We strongly feel that the company should go ahead and make good its promise to enable us honour our obligations in the league,” he pleaded.
Ongeri further said Daima had given them Sh2.4million towards the end of last year as sign of their intention to sponsor them this season.
“It is on this basis that we agreed to display the company’s banners during our matches and we feel they have used our brand to create awareness of their products and we want them to go ahead and do what they promised,” said Ongeri.
The two parties held their last meeting in early March during which it was agreed to finalise the sponsorship but Ongeri says no word has come from the company since then as they are forced to wait.
When contacted Kiran Dhotre, a Director at the company, admitted that they had undertaken to sponsor Rangers but insisted that no written agreement had been signed between the two parties.
Change goal posts
Dhotre explained that the company’s board of directors changed their focus when the team failed to maintain good performance in the KPL.
“Whenever you spend such kind of money, it is an investment and there must always be a return on the same.
“At some point we just felt that sponsoring Rangers would no longer bring us the mileage and publicity we needed.
“I really feel for Rangers and understand their situation but the truth is that things changed in between and as a company we have reconsidered our earlier proposal,” he said.
Rangers have now turned their appeal to the government to come on board and help the team honour the second leg of the KPL fixtures failure to which, they will simple collapse. Rangers finished sixth in KPL last season. KPL is in recess to allow clubs bolster squads. The transfer window closes on June 30.
