Bernard Otieno: Highs, lows of a sports commentator

Among other things, renowned sports journalist and commentator Bernard Otieno is best remembered for commentating at the 1998 and 2010 Fifa World Cup in France and South Africa, respectively.   

Otieno says commentary involves all senses. Listening, looking, breathing right to speak right and coordinating everything and telling everything, including what the viewers are not seeing. He sat down with Nation Sport’s Jane Waithera Ngige  at his serene home a few kilometres from Nairobi.

Question: Who is Bernard?

Answer: I am extremely shy. I’m a father of three. I believe in the simple things in life and in people getting second chances because we are all a product of chances.

Q: Where did your journey as a sports journalist begin?

A: My interest in sports began in school where I played football and basketball.

I admired the commentators of “Football Made in Germany” which was popular in my days. My interest was triggered by how the commentators gathered so much information about players. The quest for knowledge on players pushed me to want to give Kenyan stories in that direction.

My first commentary was on a show I presented on KBC’s Sports Diary. My biggest break came during the 1989 Cecafa Cup (now the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup) in Mombasa, in which I was the commentator. People were surprised that a Kenyan could give such a good commentary, and that motivated me.

Back then, we had very good Swahili football commentators on radio, and so, with the advent of football on TV, the need for local English commentators arose. I decided to fill that void. The reception was good. I relied on team managers and players, whom I befriended, to get information.

I was approached to do commentary during the 1997 World Athletics Championships in Greece, but I got cold feet. I, however, did it alone. This opened my horizon further because I learned about other sports and their technicalities. The most difficult part of this is how you weave a story from all the facts in it.

In 1998 and 2010, I was asked to commentate the Fifa World Cup in France and South Africa, respectively. It was mind-blowing. I have never had so much information at my disposal. The challenge was how to harness it and tell it to the whole world. That was the best experience I ever had.

Commentary involves all senses. Listening, looking, breathing right to speak right and coordinate everything and tell everything and what the viewers are not seeing.

Q: How is commentary behind closed doors?

A: It is dry and lacks flavour. Europe has a big advantage than here at home because they have pre-recorded fans’ chants queued.

Technically, we do not have that.

Fans push players to do more. In athletics, runners produce great performances when fans clap and chant their names. In football, scoring a goal and hitting a goal post ignite different reactions from the fans. The latter is more glamorous and the crowd loves it.

I doubt if the report for resumption of sports in Kenya will be possible for Kenyan football. On a bad match day, a stadium will hold about 1,000 fans, how are we going to observe the Covid-19 regulations? We don’t have the health equipment in stadiums. Players do not have enough kits to change at half-time.

Q: How has coronavirus affected football?

A: Commentators, referees, team managers, technical officials, kit managers who rely on football are now jobless.

Personally, I have been forced into semi-retirement. I have been in this job for couple of decades and many people think that this is the only job I do. However, I hold a Masters degree in Public Relations and I have moderated many events that are unrelated to sports.

Q: What is your lowest point in your career?

A: When fans fight in the stadium. You try so hard to make football a family event, but hooliganism ruins it. I recall a past Super Cup tournament when the stadium was filled to capacity but a fight broke out abruptly and the police lobbed teargas to try and restore calm. From the commentary booth, I spotted a lady and her child fleeing the commotion. I ran towards them and told them to hide in the commentary booth. The crying child had lost her shoe and I later found it.

Internationally, I have faced racial discrimination in Europe and in North Africa. Once I was in a restaurant with five colleagues, the waiter took orders from the four white men and left me out.

Asked why he left me out the waiter just walked away. I did not eat for three days. I relied on my fellow journalists to order food for me. I was also given a room in the back of the hotel and I reported the matter to the authorities. Consequently, I refused to go back to the country which was to host the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) because of the ugly incident. Officials tried to convince me to change my mind but I refused.

Q: What is the highlight of your career?

A: Commentating the finals of competitions and meeting World Athletics president Sebastian Coe as well as legends Michael Johnson, Marion Jones and Jonathan Edwards. I shared a flight with former Namibian track star Frankie Fredericks.

Commentating during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in which Jamaican great Usain Bolt broke the 100 metres record is memorable.

Q: How do you develop as a commentator?

A: You must first be a trained broadcaster because you need to adhere to journalism rules, one ought to be careful because one word can start a physical, economical or political war. One time my TV director told me to call a lady seated next to a Kenyan dignitary his wife. I didn’t. This saved the company a lawsuit because she wasn’t. So, you manage a lot of situations and risks.

Q: Is off tube commentary enriching?

A: No, it dampens a commentary. Once, some colleagues did a commentary in studio on an event happening in Europe. The comical part is they said that they were in London, but were later seen boarding a matatu. You must tell people when you are doing off tube commentary. Personally, I don’t like it because it takes away the excitement of live commentary.

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