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Joseph Okumu: When a footballer is injured

Stade de Reims defender Joseph Okumu on the ground after suffering an injury during their French Ligue 1 match against Amiens SC. [Stade de Reims]

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.

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