A Deficit of Attention. That is what our football is suffering from. Bring Football Back Home is based on the premise that for the last 30 years, the emergence of the English Premier League (EPL) as the grand force in world football has had the undesired effect of a deficit of attention on our own national and local game. Our football is in the place where our attention is. At Meru Bombers, we believe that a little more attention on our football can have a great impact on the game, our clubs, our players and the country.In all its current glory, the English game has not always been as glorious as it is today. It is generally accepted that the English are not the masters of the game either. That accolade belongs elsewhere in Continental Europe or South America perhaps. But in terms of being the biggest stage for world football, they are unrivalled. Look at the way the start and viability of the Africa Cup of Nations was highly predicated on whether EPL clubs would allow their African Players leave to attend? And if they did, would they really show up or save themselves from injury for their clubs? AFCON 2021: The hosts are out! After abysmal penalty taking from Cameroon, Egypt are in the finalAFCON is being staged and watched under the narrative and shadow of the EPL. It is in all ways, the World’s league. But funny enough, as the AFCON fires up, the attention is slowly going its way. That is how powerful something personal, something that is our own can be. I’m certain the EPL is getting less viewership and attention than normal in Africa at the moment. The rise of the English game came primarily through pulling the world’s attention with their stories. The English know how to tell a good story. Peter Drury and Jim Beglin are now great EPL Stars and household names the world over just by the stories they tell. The EPL is a drama.A majority of Kenyans have either an intimate or casual relationship with an English club. “Sisi kama Manchester” and other stories. It is a stroke of singular genius by the English in the history of storytelling. A weekend isn’t the same without the EPL, its stories and drama. Trigger Moments For Change The English game had many problems prior to 1992. The 1989 Hillsborough Disaster where 96 Liverpool fans died in a stampede was the trigger moment that changed the direction, form, intent and structure and story of the English game. It was the catalyst for the world domination in staging football they enjoy today. They chose to change the story of their game. Late last year, Sports Cabinet Secretary Amb. Amina Mohammed took action to reorganize Kenyan football. It seems to me that this was and still is a trigger moment for change. The Caretaker Committee she put in place is essentially the body that should midwife our change, our own “EPL Moment”. Is Kenya’s football community fired up yet or aware of this moment? I could be hopeful but I’m not so sure yet. It seems to me there is a huge base in the game that is not really ready to hope again. There is a wise caution afoot that also leaves a desire for more action and activity. And this is understandable. Being a Kenyan footballer, coach, official, journalist or fan has been a life of grief and disappointment. Too many times we have hoped, dreamt, worked and been screwed over and over again. We live in a cycle of disappointment; good highs and crashing lows. To demonstrate the low we are in at the moment, half of the countries in the continent are in Cameroon for the Africa Cup of Nations and we are just mere spectators. A Deficit of Cooperation and Collaboration We are doing well on the pitch as we cooperate and collaborate to meet fixtures. Outside the pitch however, where the football festival lives, we are not doing as well. There is a wait and see attitude that is also likely to lead to disappointment rather than any hopeful action we could be taking if we don’t act. The bad guys however aren’t waiting to see. They never have they never will. They are planning, plotting and raising money very aware of the opportunities available. They are cooperating, collaborating and organising. Even before we have an election roadmap in place, we already have candidates for office. These candidates are already in the news when current FKFPL table toppers Kakamega Homeboyz aren’t in the way they should be. From KPL to FKPL – Kenya’s top football league was eventful in 2021There is something desperately opportunistic and shameless about running for office right now that should alarm us. While that may be said to be foresight on their part, it is similarly a sinister foresight. Ideas, expectations and the football we want should be the agenda and the news at the moment, and Kakamega Homeboyz of course! Galvanizing the popular agenda, not a contest for seats, is the wise thing for the moment. It’s great to see the discussion going on right now on whether certain league matches should be free or paid up in the wake of the free entry Forces Derby; Kenya Police FC vs Ulinzi Stars. The fact that we have a new derby in town is itself a triumph of story specifically told through the two clubs’ twitter accounts. Million Dollar ProblemsOur football’s problems are milllion dollar problems. Whether it is proper structures, player welfare, infrastructure, marketing or accessibility through TV, each problem requires millions of dollars to solve. But nowhere has the money ever come before the story. Our experience with SuperSport or StarTimes should demonstrate this point very well. No matter how much money you throw at a bad story, it’s pretty impossible to resolve. I like stories because they incite action and solve issues at the individual level. Stories have personal agency and action rooted in them. They are actionable at a very individual level. A marvelling story about Allan Wanga’s great career will incite me to look forward to his testimonial. In the tragedy of the Agnes Tirop murder, the athletics community found a trigger moment for an issue that clearly bedevils their sport. They have been able to harness the issue, galvanize resources, onboard the government and the sports community behind this worthy cause. The athletics community organised a conference in Diani to determine the systems and awareness they need to put in place to ensure such a tragedy and the violence that precedes it never happens again. That is hope and resolve in action. That is agency. A football conference would be amazing. We must hope again for the Kenyan game and seize the moment that’s here for change. A hope that should ignite story, action, activity, cooperation and collaboration. This way we may perhaps attract the genuine to office and galvanize the millions of dollars we need annually to set our game towards a glorious future. Let’s Bring Football Back Home.Nkaari Martin K is the Vice Chairman at Meru Bombers.
