Why foreign legion find KPL attractive

The Kenyan Premier League is quickly becoming popular with players from outside the country as managers and club owners travel far and wide to lure the best talent to their squads. The June transfer window of Kenyan Premier League saw the number of foreign legion increase.

Two years ago, there was a heated debate in the English Premier League about opportunities available for English talents in the competition, prompting the English FA chairman Greg Dyke to commission a study into the future of English football in 2013 with a view to increasing the number of English players in its league to 45 per cent by 2022.

According to the findings published by the BBC, English players accounted for less than a third of the total playing time last season at 32.36 per cent compared to 69 per cent 20 years ago. The 45 per cent target by the English FA is still less than that in the Spanish and German leagues which stand at 59 and 50 per cent respectively.

Consequently, the English FA is worried that their league, where Kenya’s Victor Wanyama plies his trade, could soon be fully taken over by foreigners.

Back in Kenya, the popularity of the Kenyan Premier League is soaring. In terms of competitiveness and level of organisation, KPL ranks higher than leagues in the region as seen by the high number of foreign players plying their trade in Kenya. The growth of the KPL has been attributed to a number of factors, among them the coming of board of transcontinental pay television channel SuperSport as broadcast sponsors in 2007. SuperSport has revolutionised the KPL, pumping in a staggering Sh800 million in sponsorship of the league alone since March 2008 when they made their first broadcast of a league match.

This has acted as an incentive, and players from the region have been quick to cross the border in droves to the KPL. These players are not just guided by the desire to play professional football and earn decent living, but by the thirst to use KPL as a launching pad.

Interestingly, most of these foreign players have proved better than home-grown talents. A case in point is Dan Sserunkuma who starred for KPL champions Gor Mahia, helping K’Ogalo to back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014.

But just as there are many positives that come with having foreign players in the local league,  there are many disadvantages. The KPL runs the risk of being dominated by foreigners and subsequently a weaker national team. Apart from its controversial 1966 World Cup conquest, England has never won the World Cup despite having having the most competitive league in the world.

NOT DOING WELL

Although KPL’s situation is not as bad as that of the English Premier League, Kenya has not done well either internationally. Last weekend, a lackluster Harambee Stars was tossed out of the African Nations Championship qualifiers by Ethiopia. The last time Stars made an appearance at the African Cup of Nations finals was in 2004 in Tunis and subsequent attempts have ended in heart break.

(READ: Ethiopia send Kenya packing)

According to KPL records, there are 56 foreign players plying their trade in the KPL this season alone. Out of this, Sofapaka, founded by Congolese businessman Elly Kalekwa, accounts for the largest number at 11. His foreign contingent includes Evariste Mutuyimana (Rwanda), Johnson Bagoole, David Bagoole, Joseph Owino, Herman Wasswa (all Ugandans), Abdoul Yourou (Togolese), Felly Mulumba, Mutuyiwana Moussa and Heritier Luvualu (all Congolese). Others are Blessing Henshaw, Lwamba Mulondwa who are all from Congo and are registered as refugees.

KPL champions Gor Mahia and Ushuru each have seven, AFC Leopards and Tusker six, KCB, Sony Sugar and Muhoroni Youth three, Bandari and City Stars four, Thika United and Western Stima have two while Chemelil Sugar has one. Mathare United, who have stuck to their decade-long policy of nurturing their own talent, and Ulinzi Stars, mainly made of players from the Kenya Defence Forces, are the only top-tier clubs with no foreigner.

DOMINATED THE LEAGUE

Interestingly, these foreign players have dominated the league, their performances putting local talents to shame. For instance, Sserunkuma has not only won the Most Valuable Player award in 2013, but also claimed the Golden Boot in 2014 besides emerging as Gor’s most potent goal poacher. He scored the highest number of goals for the club for two successive seasons (2013 and 2014) before decamping to Simba in Tanzanian (which he has since left). His compatriots Godfrey Walusimbi, Geoffrey ‘Baba’ Kizito have all been success stories.

Ugandans Khalid Aucho and Martin Kiiza have equally done well at Tusker before decamping to Gor and Leopards respectively where they continue to flourish.

Meddie Kagere, Abouba Sibomama (both Rwandans) and Karim Nizigiyamana (Burundian) have both  hit the ground running since joining Gor this term, condemning Kevin Oluoch to the bench. Liberian Dirkir Glay is equally doing well enough to limit home grown talent Harun Shakava, who had been touted as a future national team material, to a second-choice defender.

Prior to sealing Sh24 million move to South African side Mamelodi Sundowns, Burundian forward Abdoul Fiston Razak stood out for Sofapaka alongside defender Felly Mulumba and Johnson Bagoole.

So, what makes local Premier League coaches prefer the foreign legion bearing in mind that there are equally talented local talents? Former Harambee Stars coach and Tusker tactician, Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee believes that the pressure on coaches to produce results and hold onto their jobs explains the increasing preference for ready-made players. Mulee believes lack of planning and belief in home grown players is another contributing factor.

“It does not augur well for our future and the national team. I wouldn’t really say that the foreign players are good. We have a situation where local coaches have no good scouting system and are heavily reliant on ready-made players. The foreign legion at Gor have shown their quality but that is not the way to go. Somebody like Olunga (Michael), King’atua David (Bandari) and Jackson Macharia from Thika are good players who can go places and make a difference,” he says.

Mulee also bemoans lack of interest in the lower tier leagues, saying they should be identified and nurtured.

However, former international Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno believes every coach has his own reason for preferring foreign players, but the trend is not good for the national team. Zico opines that youth tournaments need to be launched and sustained: “We used to have the under-19 competition which has since been left to die a natural death. We need continuity.”

BLAMED FELLOW COACHES

However, the 34-year-old Mathare United coach, Stanley Okumbi, puts the blame on influx of foreign talents squarely on his fellow coaches, whom he says, want immediate success, but not keen on grooming players that can help the national team in future.

Veteran defender, James Situma who has in the past played professional football in Albania with FK Tirana, says that there are positives and negatives in the whole issue.

“They (foreigners) help write a new chapter in our football. Besides the new culture they bring, they spice the competition. In the long run, it gives the team and the league quality and also makes us better players due to the competition. On the negative aspect, it denies local players playing time," says Situma.

Sofapaka owner, Kalekwa has been accused of having a penchant for signings foreigners but he robustly defends his transfer policy saying that in the globalisation age, players and countries must open up: “If foreign players are in any league, it means that that particular league is competitive."

In current era of globalisation, you cannot hinder talents and players from infusing. Look at African giants for example; Club Africaine (Tunisia), Enyimba (Nigeria), TP Mazembe (DR Congo), then you realise that three-quarters of their players are foreigners. They sign quality players which explains why they win the top continental accolades.”