Mudavadi calls for protection of Kenyan players from exploitative agents

Former AFC Leopards patron Musalia Mudavadi has called on the government to come up with mechanisms to help players against crooked agents.

Mudavadi said sportspeople can be exploited by their handlers and end up not benefiting from their talent at the end of their careers.

“We should look at what kind of support we should give to these young people willing to earn from their talents,” Mudavadi told KTN News.

“They also need protection because there is a situation that if it is not well done the young sportspeople can seriously be exploited by the so-called managers or handlers.

“We have seen some crafty fellows who get in and before the young man or woman knows what has happened they have been made to sign a complicated contractual arrangement.

"Then you get to see all their sweat is actually feeding somebody else and not them.

“These are issues that we should look at, for example having a special legal team formed or supported by the government which can then help young people enter into contracts that they have actually consented to.

“The lawyers can also be trained enough to ensure they are safeguarding the interests of the sportspeople diligently.”

The former Deputy Prime Minister also explained the need to improve football management in the country and make it more professional.

“We need to find a law which allows professionalisation of soccer in Kenya so that there is a clear way to pay players and that there is a revenue stream,” he added.

“Majority of the young men and women, and maybe not talking about athletics, the other fields literally depend on the goodwill of the fans.” 

The Kenyan leader had earlier called on administrators to come up with strategies that will help the players earn more so that they can enjoy a financially stable future.

“You know with sports there is a shelf life where one is good at a certain bracket and up to a certain point you need to give way,” Mudavadi recommended.

“So, we need to have programmes that will help the youth come up with a sustainable venture once they give way to others and settle after a sporting career.

“Investments in sports are something we have not taken seriously before. The level of commitment is not as it should be.

“We need to find a way of bringing in investors in our soccer so that we can have a sustainable way of buying players and give them a livelihood for the duration that he is working for that club.”

The Kenyan football fraternity has had to deal with a lack of or delayed payments for players mostly because of a lack of sponsorship.