- Amani National Congress (ANC) Party Leader Musalia Mudavadi has warned AFC Leopardsand Gor Mahia to end their dependency on financial support from politicians urged them to get a formula that can help achieve self-sustainability
The Kenyan leader affirms the need for Ingwe and K’Ogalo, to get a formula that can help achieve self-sustainability as several politicians have always come to the rescue of the two clubs, especially when they are facing acute financial problems.
“Let us find a way of getting the politicians out of the way as privileged financial supporters of clubs. Let politicians be supportive as is the case with other ordinary fans,” Mudavadi said.
“They should not look at it from a privileged position that because one is a politician then it’s is a privileged position to support ether AFC Leopards or Gor Mahia.
“It is not sustainable to imagine a politician or two can underwrite any club in this country,” he added.
He revealed that he was the patron of AFC Leopards and he used to pay salaries for the players’ something so difficult.
“There should be a well-thought arrangement and strategy and it should not be a politically-driven agenda but it should be driven by the management of the clubs,” he opined.
“Times and circumstances have changed and we must provide new approaches of how to support teams,” he stated.
Musalia also urges Kenyan clubs to borrow management formula from established leagues to keep teams afloat and sustainable by bringing investors.
“Look at the number of Premier League clubs in the UK and see who owns them, who runs them, and what the management structure behind those clubs is,” he urged.
Recently the former Deputy Prime Minister paid KSh633,000 for the outstanding land rates that had made it impossible for AFC Leopards to build the facility. He also revealed the steps AFC Leopards have taken in as far as the construction of their home stadium is concerned.
“They have started processing the ownership of the land details but what I can say is that the journey has just started. Because subsequently, resources must be raised to start developing that stadium,” he concluded.
