Coronavirus: Rescue struggling players in the lower leagues
Fans follow the Mashujaa Day Cup match between Shabana and AFC Leopards at the Gusii Stadium on October 20, 2020.
What you need to know:
- To begin with, nearly all the players taking part in the lower leagues from the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) National Super League, (NSL), FKF Division 1, FKF Division 2 and the county leagues, among others, do not have any form of contract and, therefore, do not receive any form of payment at the end of the month.
- Those lucky enough to be paid only get occasional match-day allowances whenever they take to the field.
As the country gears towards the resumption of sporting activities following the Covid-19 outbreak, the future of the majority of football teams taking part in the lower league remains bleak.
While the pandemic has had serious implications across all the sporting activities across the world, perhaps nowhere can the consequences be dire than within the lower football leagues in the country.
To begin with, nearly all the players taking part in the lower leagues from the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) National Super League, (NSL), FKF Division 1, FKF Division 2 and the county leagues, among others, do not have any form of contract and, therefore, do not receive any form of payment at the end of the month.
Those lucky enough to be paid only get occasional match-day allowances whenever they take to the field.
This means that since the suspension of the sports across the country early in match, the majority of these players have had to look for employment to stay afloat.
According to former Sony Sugar U19 coach Wilson Aol, a number of clubs from the lower league will be starting from the scratch to build teams for the new season.
“From the look of things, some teams will be lucky to get five players back when they start training because most of the players would have abandoned football all together,” Aol said.
The tactician, who also coached Division 1 side Sindo FC, said he was shocked to learn that a top midfielder had dropped football and become fisherman while other players have since turned into boda boda business.
“I perfectly understand the players, and nobody can blame then since, like most of us some of these players have families to take care of,” he said. His view is supported by Abdi Aziz, the chairman of NSL side Migori Youth.
He said just like the way the government bail out other sectors within the country in the harsh economic times, sports, especially players in the lower leagues must be helped if the government is really serious about uplifting sports in the country.
“We have seen businesses helped by the lowering of the VAT and artists given money by the government and I believe that, sports, more than any other sector, also deserves some form of help,” he said.
