This archive report was first published on 19 July 2020.
On May 19th, 2019, Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards clashed in the Mashemeji derby at Nyayo Stadium, a match that would have been a thrilling spectacle for football fans in Kenya. However, the story of Ephraim Matsilela Sono, also known as Jomo Sono, is a reminder that the beautiful game can also be a source of pain and frustration for players.
As the owner and coach of Jomo Cosmos FC, Jomo Sono's experience in the 1970s or early 1980s serves as a cautionary tale for footballers in Kenya. When he returned to South Africa after playing in the United States, he found that his club's jersey had a new sponsor's name on it. Despite his teammates' ignorance about the sponsorship deal, Jomo Sono was determined to take a stand and assert his rights as a player.
He blocked out the sponsor's name on his jersey with sellotape before a match, a bold move that infuriated the sponsors and club management. However, his act also opened the eyes of footballers to the realities of being used and abused by clubs and sponsors. Jomo Sono's actions sparked a change in the way South African clubs deal with footballers, particularly when it comes to shirt sponsors.
Fast-forward to the present day, and Kenya's football clubs are set to receive a reported Sh8 million per club per season from a betting company. While this may seem like a windfall for the clubs, it raises questions about transparency and player representation. Will the clubs reveal the details of the deals to the footballers, or will they continue to take advantage of them in the Kenyan Poverty League?
As Clay Muganda, an editor at The Standard, notes, footballers in Kenya continue to suffer despite big sponsorship deals. They face pain, hardship, and exploitation, all of which can be alleviated by transparency and player representation. It is time for footballers in Kenya to take action and demand their rights, rather than being treated as mules who carry the financial burden of clubs and sponsors.
