Top flight clubs to fight for Sh15 million winners’ prize money in FKF league

The speeches came after Mohammed and Karauri, delayed by a 10-second countdown, pressed a big red button to reveal a cardboard cutout of the league’s new logo and name. A shower of confetti floated in the air as the league’s new emblem slid into view to rejuvenating musical beats.

The FKF Premier League, which resumes this weekend, will now be known as SportPesa league and its logo is a minimalist blue-and-white design featuring the classic 32-panel football popping out of the name SportPesa which rests on a heraldic white ribbon embossed with name “LEAGUE”.

When the speeches started, Mohammed and Karauri made big announcements that advertised the elasticity of the contract that binds the record 10-year partnership agreement between the federation and the gambling firm. The watertight contract has wiggle room for decisions to be made on impulse and on Tuesday morning Mohammed and Karauri tested its capacity to do so in regards to the winners’ prize money for the new league season.

“Initially, the prize money for the SportPesa League winners had been set at Sh6 million but in our contract with FKF, there is a clause that state that the amount can vary from time to time. On that basis therefore, the winner of this season’s league will walk away with Sh10 million,” Karauri said.

The amount changed about 20 minutes later when, while making remarks, FKF President Mohammed announced that the federation has unlocked some funds which will boost the winners’ prize money to Sh15 million. “There will also be prize money for the teams finishing second and third who will share Sh5 million with the higher ranked team taking Sh2 million,” Mohammed announced.

It was day one of the partnership between FKF and SportPesa and after making that announcement, Mohammed made one of the day’s many one-day statements that teased where FKF and SportPesa saw Kenyan football in the next 10 years.

“This prize money is a good start now. One day, we will pay a team Sh50 million for winning the league,” Mohammed said with optimism. “One day, our league will be the best in Africa and the world,” he said later.

Karauri, the son of former Kenya Football Federation caretaker president Matthew Adams Karauri, infused his one-day statements with more certainty. “I am 100 per cent sure that Kenya will qualify for the Fifa World Cup one day during the period of this partnership. A strong league translates to a strong national team,” he said.

Speaking of the near future, Karauri hinted at the day’s unfinished business – the launch of a new trophy for the competition. “The trophy will come,” Karauri said.

Karauri also spoke of more things to come. He described SportPesa’s return to sponsoring the top-flight league as “a renewal of their commitment to support Kenyan football” and “they want to bring back the energy in the league and return it to the era it was before – a competitive and vibrant that was one of the best in Africa.”

“We are going to have monthly awards for players and coaches and at the end of the season, we will have a big awards gala like we used to before,” Karauri said.

The sponsorship deal is valued at Sh1.12 billion for 10 years. Sixty per cent of the funds will go to clubs who, according to Karauri, will share Sh51 million in the first year of the agreement. “The agreement is designed to raise that figure to 87 million,” Karauri said.

On his part, Mohammed said the long agreement secures the stability of Kenyan football. “This agreement gives us stability to plan and grow,” Mohammed said. “We will grow with SportPesa,” he said when asked whether the long duration of the contract restricts FKF from entering into a more lucrative agreement with another company in the next four or five years.

Still, Mohammed stated that Kenyan football is hungry for money, which is needed to fund football in the grassroots, an area of the game he constantly preaches about its significance in growing the sport. “We are using the bottom-up approach to build our football and we invite more corporates to partner with us,” Mohammed said.

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He also spoke of continued efforts to make Kenyan football accessible on television. “We are looking to sign Free-To-Air partnerships for the league,” he said.

 Currently, Azam TV is the SportPesa League’s official broadcast partners and their Production Manager, Juliet Maina, touted the station’s potential to increase visibility of brands. “I want to see more companies displayed on banners. We invite more corporates to join us and help make Kenyan football grow,” Maina said as she dangled the carrot to corporates.

Speaking on behalf of the clubs, Mathare United CEO Jecton Obure did so while describing the prize money as so surprising it can end Mathare United’s 17-year league trophy drought. He also dropped some surprising revelations. “I am happy that this agreement was signed after the FKF elections. Previously, agreements like this were signed before FKF elections and only lasted six months. Running a club is expensive. At Mathare United we operate with an annual budget of Sh65 million. So, this agreement will boost our finances,” Obure said.

On his part, in an exclusive interview with Nation Sport, AFC Leopards SC Chairman Boniface Ambani described the agreement as “a good start for now.” “However, it can be improved on,” he said.

He expressed concerns over clubs not being involved in negotiations for the agreement, its duration, and the amount of money that will be given to clubs. “Before negotiating these contracts, there is a need for clubs to be consulted and also involved in the negotiations. This contract is 10 years long and most clubs are struggling but the contract will benefit the federation more financially,” Ambani said