By Wilson Mburu
This weekend while talking to one of my producer friends in town, I heard a song that is calling on Kenyans to support local football, footballers, sports et al. I dismissed it at first until the guy seated at the controls decided to play it for a couple of more times. The chorus goes something like “tupende mechi zetu/tupende ligi zetu/supporti timu yako/supporti nchi yako…”
The thing is, it’s not that I don’t like the song, actually it’s a pretty good one, or the artiste either, I was just in a hurry because the game between Manchester United and Manchester City was about to start and this guy was taking his sweet time. At about the same time local giants Tusker were about to take on Western Stima at the then FIFA-ban-threatened Kasarani (we’ll get there later).
I have an excuse to watch the game – am a sports journalist, I have to be up to date and that keeps me on a paycheck; but that’s the thing, everyone else who was watching it has an excuse, you know, ranging from, “this was the greatest Manchester derby in recent history” to “I don’t need to give an explanation why am watching football”
As for the local lads, the fact that they were on satellite telly was not enough to earn them the attention of the home fans. I can say this without batting an eyelid; am sure any entertainment joint that was showing the Manchester derby and owns more than one screen was showing the Tusker Stima game, why, not so many of us are interested.
But (Dr. Phil says that’s a very strong word) here is a shocker for you, the local game may actually be much more interesting than you may want to believe. Let me back up my case..
The Kenya Premier League, currently, has over five teams with a realistic chance of winning it, mathematically or otherwise, with only eight games to go. I’ve been watching the English game for over 10 years and I don’t remember it getting so close at eight games. You know the winner will come from a cartel of 4 big clubs.
The weekend of July 18 – 19 saw 8 games played and a total of 25 goals scored!! 25 goals!! That’s an average of 3 goals per game. With these kinds of performances it’s hard not to get into the stadium and watch the games; if you’re not, you might as well be a loner- over 6, 000 fans trooped to the Nyayo National Stadium to watch Gor Mahia take on Sofapaka.
And Speaking of Sofapaka, where else do you find a team that just got promoted gunning for the top prize?
Match between Tusker and Sofapaka
The Kenyan Premier League has matured immensely in the last two years, mainly because the management is professional, there is exposure from the deal with Supersport and consequently the fans are getting back to to the stands. But what if it was the other way round? The fans get behind the players by getting back to the stands; advertisers see the numbers and get over excited and management seeing this have no option but to get their act in order.
If we ever want to see the national teams getting anywhere, we have to back them from the ground up. You see, the reason why countries like England, Germany, France are always in the World Cups is not really because their players are all that {with all due respect} but it’s because the little talents they have has been exploited to the maximum and the fans are behind them all the way.
If advertisers think even for a second that a certain game has a potential to sell, then money starts rolling in. When Supersport entered into a Ksh 900 million deal with the Kenyan Premier League, I don’t think they were doing it for charity; they must have seen the potential in it. It is now our turn to show them that it is actually worth investing in Kenyan sports, not just football.
The English Premier League generated revenues amounting to ₤1.93 billion (Ksh 270 billion) in the 2007/2008 season. Of course we don’t expect to get there next year, but with time, it can be done. If we can grow our sports with an open mind, then, the guys at KRA may even be forced to cut the amount of money they charge us for buying a loaf of bread a.k.a VAT, because there is money everywhere.
I must admit that I am also guilty of neglecting the local game with the notion that it’s boring or there is not real talent, that’s till I watched Gor Mahia play Leopards at Kasarani! If we always argue that these games are boring – which they can be sometimes, just like any other games- that means our players will not get any exposure. When there are 30 000 people plus in a stadium watching you run around, you’re bound to do it more carefully and professionally than if there were just 300 people.
Having said that, good manners are always desirable, be it in sports or anywhere else. When people throw all sorts of things in the pitch because the national soccer team has won, that is as immature as it is dangerous. The other day we almost lost the only stadium that makes complete sense to the guys at FIFA because of that silly mistake.
And speaking of manners, what would you call killing a ref because your team has lost? Those are incidents that should never be seen in any playing field
When all is said and done, the growth of the local game and sportsman lies in the hands of you and I, not management!
Don’t forget, to tune in to Radio 316 every Saturday Between 3 and 6 PM for your informative Sports show, It’s ON!! Hosted by yours truly!
