No need to be scared of new bird in town Wazito FC, at least not now

You will have to trace the periods between 2009 and 2012 when the then KPL bouncing Sofapaka FC terrorized the old men of Kenyan football.

Unfortunately, Batato Ba Mungu as they are famously known, under the ownership of Congolese Elly Kalekwa have not lived to the hype that they created.

It remains uncertain how Wazito will navigate through the rough tides of Kenyan football where the 2009 champions failed.

It should be noted that Badoer Investments founder, CEO, and the owner of Wazito FC, Ricardo Badoer, is using a blueprint that Elly Kalekwa never used.

Going by that, we should expect something different.

Founded in 2011, Wazito FC managed to earn a promotion into the KPL in 2018.

Their maiden stint in top tier Kenyan football was met with the usual tale; relegation back to the National Super League.

It was an assertion that top-flight football was beyond their imagination, experience and technical prowess. In 2019, the club joined the contemporary football narrative when its ownership shifted to a billionaire owner, Ricardo Badoer.

Typical of other tycoons who own football clubs, Badoer is a no-nonsense chap, the cursing type who puts his money where his mouth is and demand returns. He exhibits emotions, disgust and frustrations when the team does not meet his expectations.

On the other side, he is a staunch and enthusiastic football lover, who expresses passion for his club. The Dubai based Swedish businessman only wants the best for his club, and that is why they are back in the KPL like they never left.

Badoer’s blueprint is borrowed from the oil-moguls in the Middle East who have invested their mega-profits in European football clubs, and that is why it’s easy to judge that Wazito will succeed and challenge the Kenyan football hegemony.

This will not happen in the 2018/2019 KPL season. The infrastructural investments in the club are head starts to a great project in the making.

For now, the club’s only aspiration should be to remain in the league, gain momentum and experience, which will be prerequisite for future dominance in the Kenyan game.

Other clubs that have challenged football hegemony in world football with a similar model are Manchester City and Chelsea FC.

When the Abu Dhabi United Group took over the Manchester-based club in 2009, they embarked on buying the best players in the European football.

Brazilian Robinho joined the Sky Blue and was later followed by Emmanuel Adebayor, Samir Nasri and Kolo Toure from Arsenal, Benjani Mwaruwari from Portsmouth, Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn Rovers, Gareth Barry from Aston Villa, Carlos Tevez from Manchester United among other stars.

The Cityzens finally managed to win the English Premier League in 2011/12 season, and have been flying since.

Chelsea’s first season with Russian billionaire owner, Roman Abramovic did not yield success but mainly prepared the club for a dominance that would come in future.

London is now blue as the City of Manchester morphs to Sky Blue, thus challenging the traditional red football colours in the two cities of England.

Gor Mahia fans, in particular, should not worry because the Green Army might again win the Kenyan Premier League in 2019/20 campaign.

It may be the last time they are doing so without much sweat because if Ricardo Badoer is committed to the course, then in the coming years will see Gor Mahia’s hegemony challenged and overthrown.