- Gor Mahia has issued a statement refuting the claims that they defaulted BetKing millions of shillings and turning down a shirt sponsorship deal with deal with them.
Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions landed a sponsorship deal worth Sh55 million with BET HIGH Kenya Limited, under brand name Betsafe.
Ronald Ngala, who is the club’s outgoing Organising secretary, made a clarification that they were in talks with kit manufacturer Umbro with whom they were to sign a shirt sponsorship deal worth Sh30million from another company, whose identity was concealed.
Ngala went on to explain that they learnt that Sh7 million they received from Umbro were from BetKing and they had unveiled a Sh55million deal with Betsafe last month.
“They have no grounds to take us to court. We had a deal with Umbro who paid us part of the money and promised to get us sponsor. BetKing should sort out the issue with Umbro who also didn’t reveal to us they had received the money from them. We had an agreement with Umbro and not BetKing,” Ngala said.
Ngala believes that the allegations are being used as a campaign tool by parties who aim at influencing elections of certain individuals in the club’s August 8 elections.
“This are just politics because Gor Mahia has never any money from BetKing. There was no agreement between the two entities and what we received from Umbro was used to settle players’ salaries,” he explained.
Ngala disclosed that the club was still in talks with Umbro so that they can use the its branded jerseys for branding and marketing and nothing to do with sponsorship.
“They offered us Sh30million which they scaled down to Sh20million due to coronavirus pandemic which affected their business. You can’t leave Sh55million for that amount and that is why we are talking to Umbro. Furthermore, they have also faulted part of the agreement by not remitting funds as it was supposed to be done,” he added.