Joseph Okumu: When a footballer is injured

After a smooth eight-hour flight aboard Kenya Airways' Boeing 787 Dreamliner in February 2024, I touched down at the iconic Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. The air was freezing. Snow fell like Biblical manna from the sky, a gentle yet biting welcome to the land of Emmanuel Macron. Behold, I was in France.

Once cleared by immigration, I slid into a waiting executive Mercedes-Benz S-Class, chauffeured by Carlos, a driver contracted to the then Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims. In less than two hours, we had covered the 130 kilometres northeast of Paris, and I found myself in Reims.