To excel in African football, we must sort the mess in Kenyan football

The 2015 CECAFA Kagame Cup championship came to a disappointing conclusion for Kenyan fans as Gor Mahia finally found the going tough against Tanzania’s Azam FC, whose defensive philosophy was proudly broadcast to everyone that cared to listen by club coach Stewart Hall.

In retrospect, however, Gor’s 0-2 defeat to the rich Tanzanian club should not be viewed as too much of a disappointment. Only 12 months ago, the Kenyan champions could not win a single match as they bowed out at the group stage of the same tournament held in Rwanda.

As the 2015 edition approached, it increasingly appeared that Gor Mahia might not even make it to Dar es Salaam. In typical Kenyan football management style, it emerged that an agreement between CECAFA and Football Kenya Federation – to the effect that FKF would cater for the transport costs of Kenya’s representatives – was just hot air.

Facing the danger of not making it to the tournament, a hastily organised fundraiser was held to raise funds for the club’s air tickets. The amount raised fell short of requirements and President Kenyatta had to step in to purchase air tickets for the team.

The first match Gor faced against Yanga had been largely called in Yanga’s favour but instead Gor put in a wonderful performance to beat the fancied Tanzania mainland representatives. A similar story unfolded against KMKM of Zanzibar and suddenly, Gor Mahia were elevated to favourites status.

The club lived up to expectations and made it to the finals where, unfortunately, an efficient Azam defence and a clinical forward line ended their dreams for a sixth CECAFA club title.

For a club that has lacked sponsors for close to two years, it is amazing that Gor Mahia are actually fighting for titles rather than battling against relegation. During a similar cash starved period a few years ago, it was normal to find Gor at the bottom of the league table and, in deed, boardroom intervention was required to keep the club in the top flight on more than one occasion.

The situation is a bit different now due to the funds available from Kenya Premier League sponsors Kenya Breweries and Multichoice. Additionally, the huge following that Gor enjoys in the country means they can count on some cash from gate collections.

Contrast this with the immense financial resources at Azam FC’s disposal and you begin to appreciate that Gor have done a really commendable job in Dar es Salaam. The most valuable defender of the tournament, Azam’s Serge Wawa, is from the Ivory Coast. Only a year ago, Wawa was in the El Merreikh (Sudan) team that won the 2014 CECAFA Kagame Cup in Rwanda.

Needless to say, El Merreikh is one of the richest clubs in Africa, able to compete for top African football talent with the other African football giants that include Al Ahly of Egypt and Esperence of Tunisia. That Azam can manage to secure the services of a top class defender signed to this class of football giants is a huge testament of the club’s readiness to compete at the highest level.

The world over, we are seeing the importance of money in building competitive and title winning teams. Modern football requires that teams should be well organised, professional and well funded. It is not accidental that the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Paris Saint Germain and Bayern Munich have become so dominant in their leagues and in Europe.

Gor Mahia, because of its pedigree, should by now have become a model in African Football. Historical achievements demand that Gor should be much superior to El Merreikh, Azam FC, Yanga, and so on. Lest we forget, it remains the only East African club to have won a continental championship.

What Kenyan football fans should be enjoying now is a Gor competing with and beating the likes of Esperence, Al Ahly, Zamalek, and the rest of the big clubs in Morocco, Algeria, Congo DR, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and South Africa.

All the problems that are preventing Gor Mahia from enjoying lucrative sponsorship deals must be identified and sorted out. The day that we have Gor, AFC Leopards, Tusker, et cetera, competing at the highest level in Africa is the day that Kenyan football will stand tall in African football. We all have a responsibility.