There was one contest we loved engaging in when we were little boys. Whenever the slightest opportunity availed itself, we would line up and compete to see who will piss the farthest.
There was no prize but one carried the title of pissing contest winner as a badge of honour.
Reading the latest spat between the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and the Kenya Premier League (KPL) my mind immediately raced back in time to those contests we used to have.
For strangers in Jerusalem, this is a quick recap: FKF president Nick Mwendwa recently said the league had come to an end and declared Gor Mahia the 2020 league winners.
This was at the height of the Covid-19 outbreak when the government announced a raft of measures- including a ban on sporting activities- to curb the pandemic spread.
No way, KPL countered. Adding whistles and bells to the debate, KPL went ahead and announced a resumption of the league.
“The Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Amb. Amina Mohamed, recently confirmed that the government has set up a team to prepare for the resumption of sporting activities in the country once the Covid-19 situation has been managed.
This is a sign that football in general is set to resume to normalcy in the near future,” KPL thundered.
I have never been a huge fan of Mwendwa, but on this I am standing with the man. Perish the thought that I am supporting Mwendwa just because my beloved K’Ogalo were announced the winners. Far be it removed from me to support a process fraught with fraud.
The truth of the matter is that football has been hit badly by Covid-19 but for Third World countries like Kenya, matters are worse with our football being in isla de miseria, an island of misery.
Away from the pissing contest between the two bodies, the truth of the matter is that resuming the league now is practically impossible.
For one we are dealing with clubs and players whose existence and very lives are hovering on the fringes of penury. Last I saw, Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier was writing landlords asking them not to evict the club’s players over rent arrears.
On top of that clubs like Gor are the beneficiaries of a government bail out to see sports people given stipend for surviving the tough times.
If taking care of players is proving a challenge, where will such clubs get the money for training and even travel to matches?
Mine is just but a realistic take on what is happening but if someone thinks we can shirk our time honoured responsibility of beating our opponents senseless then bring it on, buster!
