Broke Mathare United to issue walkover against Bandari

Mathare United will not honour their Football Kenya Federation Premier League match against Bandari at Ruaraka grounds on Sunday.

This will be the first walkover issued by the Slum Boys in their 28-year history in Kenyan football.

In a letter dated April 23 and signed by Mathare United chairman Bob Munro, the club cited financial constraints as the reason for issuing the walkover.

"Our financial situation is the result of an escalating series of external factors over the last few years which kept reducing the revenue and/or raising the costs for all our top clubs. Those cumulative and financially destabilising external factors included: the FKF forced expansion of the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) in February 2017, the related SuperSport termination of their KPL contract in March 2017, the necessary but difficult Covid-19 suspension of the league for five months in 2020, the FKF hostile takeover of the Kenyan Premier League in September 2020, the FKF failure to pay to clubs a fair share of the KPL broadcast/title rights revenue, the FKF mismanagement of FIFA, GOK and sponsorships funds during 2018-21," read the letter in part.

Munro revealed that they have tried to secure sponsors this season but have not been successful in their bids.

"Since 2018, we made serious proposals and held follow-up discussions with 48 companies in a wide range of sectors, including banking, insurance, airlines, energy and consumer goods. But only four signed contracts and three of them were betting companies.

"Since July 2021, I and our CEO still relentlessly tried to secure sponsors for this season but without success. This week the funds of our club, my family and many friends of our team were completely exhausted and we’re sadly unable to honour today’s match."

Bandari Team Manager Albert Ogari said the club is yet to receive official communication from the league organisers and will proceed to the match venue as required.

"We shall proceed as expected, so far we have just heard rumors of the walkover but we have not had any formal communication in the terms of a letter from the Caretaker Committee or Mathare United. Therefore, we shall proceed as usual with our preparations as we are already here. Expect us at the field," he said.

Mathare United is among community-based clubs that have been struggling financially with the league lacking a title sponsor.

The financial constraints have taken a toll on their performance on the pitch as they are ranked bottom with 11 points from 26 matches.

Munro explained that the club has been negatively affected by supremacy battles between FKF and former league management body Kenya Premier League Limited.

"The increasingly negative publicity about FKF also discouraged many companies. The FIFA ban then made the already difficult financial situation of clubs even worse.

"Today, our team is only one among nearly half of our top clubs, especially our community-based clubs, which are now struggling with serious financial problems. To have financially stable and competitive clubs and top league, a rigorous rethinking, restructuring and commercially-minded reorientation of FKF and Kenyan football is clearly needed."

Mathare United has contributed immensely to Kenyan football since its formation in 1994 producing some of the best coaches and players on the land.

The club is credited with moulding the likes of Dennis Oliech, Arnold Origi, Titus Mulama, Anthony Kimani and Adam Shaban among others.

Some of the top Kenyan coaches to have polished their tactical acumen at the club include Francis Kimanzi, Salim Ali, Stanley Okumbi, David Ouma and William Muluya.

It remains to be seen if Mathare United will honour their other seven remaining fixtures. FKF rules state that a team that issues three walkovers in one season is automatically relegated to the lower tier.