Decoding the trend: Why corporate football clubs are winning big, as told by Dan Shikanda

Shikanda has revealed the real reason coorporate clubs like Tusker have made it impossible for community clubs like AFC Leopards to attrack the country's best players making it difficult for them to compete for the title.

AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda insists that corporate clubs have exploited Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards' recent financial struggles and transfer bans, resulting in their own enhancement, but he believes their ability to take advantage in this manner will soon come to an end.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Tusker FC, a corporate club,  have won two of the last three league titles while Leopards have languished mostly in seventh place.

Gor Mahia were “a year ahead of schedule” by lifting the league last season according to head coach John McKinstry, having relied on a core of young players until their ban from making transfers was lifted in March and they signed players to propel them to winning the title.

Leopards have not been allowed to make signings over the last two seasons, and are waiting on a three-window transfer ban on them to be lifted after Pulse Sports authoritatively confirmed that the club had reached an agreement with immediate former head coach Patrick Aussems on a payment strategy to settle the Belgian’s dues.

“I think the co-operate clubs have taken advantage of both AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia not having sponsorship and have attracted the best talents this country has,” Shikanda told Pulse Sports.

“It has denied the two clubs the key players they need. Going forward, if all goes well especially for AFC Leopards, let me not talk on Gor Mahia’s behalf although I am sure they are going through the same, this time round we can sign players and get back to where we were in terms of having quality players who can make us compete.”

Shikanda believes that Ingwe will do everything possible to get back to competing, something he believes will bring back fans to the stadium.

The outspoken chairman also believes that corporate clubs are making community clubs lose fans in the stadium, leaving games to be “like a joke” when played in front of empty arenas.

“I think the corporates will look at it differently in the sense that every time Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards are denied the chance to have fans in the stadium. Once we lose fans in the stadium, football becomes like a joke.

“Playing in an empty stadium is more or less like practicing. I would really look at a situation where AFC would bounce back and be a serious threat in terms of winning the league and once we have a situation like that where Gor Mahia fans come to the stadium to support the team that is playing against AFC so that AFC does not have an advantage over them if they win the match and vice versa,we will start getting our matches packed, especially AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia matches.

“That was the driving force of Kenyan football, if you can play all your matches in a packed stadium by virtue of the fact the team you are playing against, let's say Gor Mahia, which has fans rallying behind them.”

Shikanda has revealed that the club’s new sponsorship deal with Bata  is reliable enough to pay the players salaries regularly, but once the club makes signings that will make the side competitive, it will attract corporates back ti sponsoring the club

“When you have Gor competing with Tusker, it removes certain umph from the league. We are therefore fighting to get back up there. We already have a sponsor that can cover salaries, now we are just looking for logistics.

“If you are allowed to sign the players we are bringing on board who can compete and you pay them salaries regularly, I think we will be in a pole position to turn around football in Kenya.”