Don't let club football die due to cash crunch

The financial woes facing two of Kenya’s most famous football clubs, Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards, are a huge indictment on club football managers.

It is a shame that clubs that have brought so much joy to Kenyan fans for all those years are empty shells financially and only a few Kenyans are willing to chip in.

This is largely due to persistent wrangles and financial impropriety, which have made rich corporates shy away from Kenyan football. Why have we allowed incompetency in our mainly community based football clubs?

It is unfortunate that a club of the stature of AFC Leopards, which has won 13 Kenyan Premier League titles, Kenya Cup eight times, and the Cecafa Club Championship five times, can hardly raise Sh6 million in a fundraiser.

The beloved Ingwe, since losing a deal with Mumias Sugar Company, has been struggling to pay players and meet other routine operations. Past managers have been accused of ruining the club financially and only using it as a political platform. This is unacceptable in a country with a fanatical following in club football.

If all the football clubs are run professionally, they have a huge potential to provide decent job opportunities to not only the players but other support staff.

The clubs could generate huge amounts of revenue, while giving our talented youth a platform to showcase their skills to wealthier clubs abroad. In the meantime, Kenyan fans will flock back to the stadium and enjoy the beautiful game. The corporates will then fall over each other in clinching big money deals with the football clubs.