Better days are ahead for Kenyan football

The Kenyan Premier League (KPL) comes to one of its most dramatic conclusions Saturday.

Unlike previous years, a record three teams are all in the race to win the title, something that has forced the KPL to have three trophies on standby, just in case. Gor Mahia, Tusker, and AFC Leopards are all gunning for the title, which is expected to raise adrenaline levels considerably.

As the season winds up, it is not lost on fans and other stakeholders that the KPL and Football Kenya Federation (FKF) have done a commendable job in raising local football standards. To their credit, too, stadiums are beginning to fill. That should encourage sponsors to plough more money into the sport. Due to the high level of organisation and competition, the league has earned the support of key corporate institutions in popularising the world’s most popular sport.

Five years ago, the league signed a lucrative multi-million shilling sponsorship deal with SuperSport in a match that has gone a long way in popularising the beautiful game.

On Saturday, fans who cannot afford to go the stadium have an opportunity to watch local matches on television.

And most recently, East African Breweries Limited signed a Sh55 million one-year sponsorship deal and became the title sponsors of the league. The money from breweries is expected to considerably ease off the burden of club owners who spend a lot of their own money on running the teams.

It is a major turnaround for the country’s football considering that for a long time, fans watched in exasperation in the last decade as federation chiefs fought for the control of football management. The most immediate impact of the sponsorship is an increase in the quality of play, which has in turn meant that fans troop back to stadiums.

Even those who cannot afford to pay their way through turnstiles, climb trees, buildings and bridges around the stadium to catch a piece of the action.

Women, resplendent in favourite clubs’ jerseys, skin tight trousers and shorts that leave little to the imagination and trendy sunglasses, have made our stadia favourite destination for our menfolk, even if some watch the action on the ground for a fleeting few minutes.

Two hours before the kick off is not early enough to secure one a seat from a preferred position. That is how popular the KPL league matches have become, especially in Nairobi. Things can only get better.

However, despite these developments, there is still a lot of work to be done to take the league to a higher level. Key among these is improvement of security. The Gor Mahia versus Muhoroni Youth match last weekend had glaring security lapses that must be addressed in future by putting in place tighter controls. When the sky opened up during the first match between Sofapaka and KCB, fans from the ‘Russia’ side invaded the main stand and almost overran the recommended capacity there. The main-stand was almost beginning to shake when rains subsided and fans returned to the open areas.

It is also disheartening that during some matches, beer is sold to fans in contravention of Fifa rules.

One cannot understand how traders are able to easily bring cans of beer inside the stadium considering the high level of security at the gates. Others smuggle in hard liquor, which they gleefully partake of right under the nose of security personnel. The federation should understand that football is a family outing.

KPL must also clear the air regarding the prize money to be awarded to the winner of the 2012 season. It would be unfair to maintain the same prize money paid out last year in the face of increased sponsorship. Gate collections have over the years improved too.

It is disheartening that despite the massive sponsorship of the league, most clubs still struggle to pay players and run their activities.

The benefit of the sponsorship is yet to trickle down and this needs to be changed. Other than the dismal performance of the national team, the local league has proved that better days are ahead of Kenyan football.