)
The Sports CS rightly blasted K’Ogalo and Ingwe for their ‘bad manners’ but it was not right to reward the bad habits.
Sports Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ababu Namwamba blasted Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards for their ‘bad manners’ while giving them a rescue package of Ksh5m each to settle their debts.
Gor were kicked out of the CAF Champions League after their club license was revoked due to their inability to pay money owed to former players Adama Keita, Jules Ulimwengu, and Sando Yangayay on time while Leopards are under a transfer ban because of over Ksh20 million owed to former coach Patrick Aussems.
)
14:00 - 30.07.2023
From a hot-head to mature general: Gor Mahia coach Mckinstry hails Ernest Wendo's professionalism and longevity
Wendo has evolved over his time at Gor, from being an all action box to box player who had the tendency to play on the edge, which constantly left him getting booked or sent off to being a mature player who dictates play from the middle of the park and sits in front of the defense.
Leopards were in May 2022 ordered to pay Aussems a $145,000 (Ksh20.6 million) fine over breach of contract and by the time he left on July 10, he had not received his dues, leaving the club facing further sanctions.
The situations yet again exposed just how badly Kenyan clubs, and sports in general, are mismanaged and Namwamba gave them an earful even as he was rescuing them.
)
06:00 - 25.07.2023
STARS ABROAD: Winger lauded as next big thing in Kenyan football undergoing trials at Sunderland
The 19-year-old made around 60 appearances in Chelsea’s youth sides, contributing to 15 goals.
“The management of Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards must take full responsibility for this mess. This is shameful. Stop picking third-grade foreign players and coaches when we have good players here to choose from and coaches who are capable as Robert Matano, Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee, and Francis Kimanzi have shown,” Namwamba said on Friday night.
The CS claimed the amount was a one-off special parachute fund but was he right in the first place to rescue these two clubs?
)
07:56 - 29.07.2023
FOOTBALL Gor Mahia, AFC Leopards rescued by government as Namwamba blasts them for signing ‘third grade’ foreigners
The Sports CS has lashed out at K’Ogalo and Ingwe over their appetite for unproved foreign players and coaches who have landed them in trouble
For starters, Gor and Leopards are the oldest football clubs in the country, and given their huge fanbase, they should be doing better. You do not need to look further for examples. Across the border, Simba and Yanga are making nearly Ksh1 billion in annual revenues due to their proper planning and prudent management of resources.
It, therefore, means Gor and Leopards should not even be in these situations in the first place but the reality is they have been thriving in chaos for decades and it does not look like stopping.
)
07:20 - 26.07.2023
STARS ABROAD: Bundesliga side FC Koln on why Kenyan midfielder was forced out of pre season
The winger joined the side from Hannover 96 back in July 2022.
So, for the Cabinet Secretary to rescue them, it means he is encouraging this bad manners when he should be helping them stop the bad habits.
“Gor Mahia you have embarrassed me, I had big plans for you but you have let me down. Why did you keep quiet until the last minute? Why did you not tell your Minister of Sports when I have an open-door policy?” posed Namwamba.
)
12:30 - 30.07.2023
GENERAL Namwamba clears the air on why other sports disciplines were not feted at inaugural Champions reception
Many people aired their views asking why only most football teams were awarded cash tokens and not other sports disciplines from all over the country.
So, what will prevent other clubs from doing the same and going to Waziri for some rescue package? I mean, a precedent has been set, even if the CS insisted this was a ‘one-off.’
There have been claims that Gor and Leopards are too big to be allowed to collapse but if you play with fire, you should be ready to get burnt. It is not the business of the government to fund clubs, the state should only facilitate a good environment for them to thrive.
)
15:23 - 28.07.2023
FOOTBALL Why demoralised Gor Mahia players want an apology from the club
The disappointed players feel let down by the K’Ogalo hierarchy after it failed to honour its obligations
And by the way, how many Kenyan players have gone or are going for months without pay but are unable to speak out or go to FIFA like the ‘third-grade’ foreigners for fear of being excommunicated from their clubs or being rendered unemployable locally because they are ‘bad apples’ that should not be touched?
The two clubs represent a wider management problem across nearly all sports in Kenya and the CS should be cracking the whip whenever and wherever there is bad manners and not rescuing those who perpetuate it.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)