We live in a butterfly-memory era of world football, and it is easy to forget how a little over ten years ago there was such a renewed vigour and verve surrounding Kenyan football, with football broadcast over a large audience by super sport raking in more money than never seen before leaving some of us wild eyed and full of what must now in hindsight be blind optimism for believing things had taken a turn for the best. It was misplaced hubris. The rigorous marketing at the turn of the 2010s papered over cracks and fundamental structural failures that was simmering just below the surface, which clearly by now has been laid bare by what Simba SC has achieved.Organized League The Tanzanian Premier League is well organized as compared to the Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL). The benefits accruing to a club plying its trade in the league is massive. For one, more sponsors are attracted and maintained and thus more money which simply translates to higher standards of the league now that the club can attract and afford quality players. A knock-on effect of Gor Mahia running away with the local league has seen the club constantly fall short in its continental travails as a consequence of sleep walking their way through the tittle. Secondly, fans are drawn to the stadiums by organised leagues through vibrant marketing. Fans, as occupiers of a crucial role in the football pyramid brings a lot in footballing terms to the quality of league play. Aside from the occasional swelling of fans in the Kenyan Mashemeji derby, there is nothing to write home about the attendance of football games in Kenya.Big players Acquisition Local Kenyan clubs should borrow a leaf from Simba SC and its contemporaries like Yanga and Azam in relation to the investments they make on player welfare and management to the extent where there is almost a total eradication of late payment of salaries and bonuses. Those shone the class of Simba, especially in this moment littered with covid-19 affected finances. As a rule, Simba constantly signs the best within the region and also the players who perform decently when up against them, Luis Jose Miquissone was signed from UD Songo after had scored against them in a 1:1 draw, Yanga’s Bernard Morrison and FC Platinum’s Perfect Chikwende were also signed under similar circumstances, an aspect that was key to them registering a home win against Egyptian and African football Kings Al Ahly in the CAF Champions League group stage.🏆 M A B I N G W A 🏆#VPL #NguvuMoja pic.twitter.com/9DX2Tjyo3Q— Simba Sports Club (@SimbaSCTanzania) July 18, 2021 They have also attracted the best from the Kenyan premier league and holds on to them easily. They signed Francis Kahata, Meddie Kagere and defender Joash Onyango whom they could easily retain in spite of the circling shark of Orlando Pirates around clearly speaks of a club thoroughly invested in its assets and with deep enough coffers to tempt them into staying by making better counter offers. The quality of contracts the club offers does appear well thought out and consequently avoids the all-caps drama we witness back home when it comes to mostly European coaches employed as they are at times given open contracts; a disastrous self-inflicted action when a court case rolls along involving the employer and the employee.Defined Organisational structure Simba SC harmonised and rigid organisational structure where it is clearly defined by the percentages who owns what shares and what organisational roles, they perform stands in stark contrast to the shambolic internecine warfare the local clubs serve up almost with an unerring frequency. This creates the regional clubs in a diametrically opposed pole. But perhaps the very political nature of the Kenyan populace creeps into the footballing sphere, with the cyclical nature of club elections and all that at stake encouraging short term thinking, the desire to build something to show off to the masses quickly rather than develop a methodical long term strategic plan like conceiving of ways to build stadiums or getting fair deals from sponsorships that could set the team perpetually on a path to self-sustenance.Share your club’s academy base camp and training grounds.On the pictures:- Primeiro Agosto- ASEC Mimosas- Horoya AC- Simba SC pic.twitter.com/OVaRqCWdB3— African Soccer Updates (@Africansoccerup) April 16, 2020 Many fans have often been left infuriated by some of the sponsorship deals signed by the elected officials as claims often persist of some sleight of hands in the deals. On the cases of a team with good funding, the team often severely lacks in sporting institutions, exhibit A; Wazito FC.Verdict However, it is not all gloomy for local clubs. The overall quality of players in the Kenyan Premier League still dwarfs that in the Tanzanian Premier League. Although alarmingly, the rising and exciting performance in continental showpiece tournaments for Tanzanian clubs should indicate a shift is underway and unless measures are taken, it could be the case of the Tanzanian Premier League we are talking about being better instead of the clubs comparison. Getting some ready to commit sponsors and a clear club structure could be a perfect place to start.
