The
unfolding events in AFC Leopards SC are as a result of mismanagement, misuse of
millions, interference on team fielding, players fighting with top officials
over women supporters and above all,
failure to pay players allowances.
Already,
the national office is deeply divided after a number of officials were
suspended. The suspended officials have ganged up against those who survived to
wreck the club. This is happening as Timona Wanyonyi who had been acquired from
the mighty Gor Mahia was given a bouncing cheque to shift from Gor Mahia to the
Ingwe den. He has since refused to be part and parcel of a sinking ship. What
is happening at AFC Leopards?
Fear
is that the happenings at Ingwe are crystal clear that things are not in order
and it will not be a surprise if the club hangs around the relegation zone for
the better part of the season unless an absolutely new strategy is quickly put
in place to rescue and salvage the team from relegation. It is on these grounds
that supporters are planning to petition the office to call for an emergency
annual general meeting. Last week, a group christened AFC Rescue Team met at
Laico Hotel, Nairobi, and listed down 12 points to salvage the club.
To
them, it is saddening for a club like Ingwe to be entangled in financial crisis,
mismanagement, indiscipline and lack of co-ordination between players,
technical bench and the executive committee reading from a different script.
If
anything, the club boasts of a well-contracted sponsor (Mumias Sugar Company)
who promptly pays for the players and technical bench salaries. They have the
gate collections, monies from merchandise, among other sources and yet it is
turning out to be a problem in paying the players their training allowances.
What is going on?
Sources
hinted what is coming out openly on the continual dismal performance from the
players could be a go-slow towards the management as a result of frustrations
the playing unit is facing. In fact, it is whispered that a section of players
have threatened to boycott matches if the officials are not removed.
It
is no secret then that the leadership and management style of the club’s
chairman Allan Kasavuli has been on the spotlight, questionable and full of
loopholes. Kasavuli is accused of being a broker, has no fixed abode business enterprise
to boast of and is even linked to questionable businesses. He is said to have
snatched a player a girlfriend when he is supposed to act as a father to the
club’s family. Kasavuli is using the club office space to run his dirty
errands, it is claimed.
Evidence
that the club is on the rocks was seen during the club’s AGM on June 29 2014 at
Nyayo Stadium when members openly disapproved his report and tore it apart with
factual figures and facts leaving him with no tangible answers. Some even
accused him of using the club to enrich himself.
Analysts
aver that the buck stops with Kasavuli and it was inconsequential to run away
from real truth by suspending part of his team from the office. Also not spared
is club secretary general George Aladwa. The big questions arise. What happens
thereafter? Yes, the special general meeting, if indeed it will live to come,
what solutions are going to be provided to resuscitate the club from its
current slumber of dismal performance?
One
case in point is the budget of Sh54million for 2014 that the executive
committee as a whole either lacks substance. The budget revealed the executive
committee in bad light.
How
do you plan to collect only Sh14 million from gate collections yet this has
been effortlessly exceeded by the previous office? Supporters recall that they
accused the previous office of misappropriating gate collections, yet they were
hitting the Sh14 million threshold. This raises questions as to why Kasavuli
team has Sh14 million as their most strenuous target. That they collected only
Sh10 million last year with Sh5,240,000 attributed to the former executive
committee and only Sh5 million being attributed to their efforts suggest
something fishy in gate collections.
It
is said that the club’s revenue collection is the worst in East and Central
Africa. A number of fans have expressed their discomfort with the perfected
trend of using remnants of tickets from previous matches to collect revenue at
subsequent matches. Their pleas are not receiving due attention as it is said
Kasavuli and a lady acting treasurer is part of the deal.
The
budget never factored in income for Top Premier League position but appeared to
anticipate that the club would incur Sh13.5 million by participating in
Confederation of African Football competitions. This clearly shows the office
does not put there heads together to critique their work. What a team?
Club
Merchandise was budgeted at Sh600,000 same as the achievement for last year.
Merchandise is the cash cow of officials and if well managed, can be an
effective revenue stream. Analysts say that it hit a figure of Sh10 million. On
top is to recruit more members. Word has it that the current 3,000 fans do not
have jerseys and those worn are counterfeits.
The
club budgeted to raise Sh 5million from transfer of players. Here is where
trouble looms. The club is signing and developing players that can fetch such
kind of income. Allan Wanga was signed by the former officials. Credit for
income earned from transfer of Allan Wanga to Sudanese club therefore goes to
the former office but surprisingly, the transfer fee was pocketed. It ran into
millions and a section of supporters plan to write to Ethics and
Anti-Corruption Commission headed by Mumo Matemo to investigate the matter.
On
Kenya Revenue Authority, the club was
to pay Sh7.5 million to KRA, but Kasavuli and team evaded the matter yet they
boast to have settled it with KRA and none of this featured in the budget.
Already, the Rescue Team apart from writing to EACC also will pen an official
letter to KRA to shed more light.
The
current position of the club in the premier league, the continual inter
wrangling among the officials is a clear indication that Kasavuli has failed
and cannot deliver.
He
has been unable to unite and foster branch mobilisation and recruitment. The
hue and cry out there is that Kasavuli and his team is unreachable and no
longer picks calls from branch chairmen. Members are disgruntled and demand
Kasavuli, and the remaining officials resign from the helm of the team
honourably to avoid future embarrassment and humiliations. Issues of integrity
also linger around Kasavuli as to what formal business he carries out on day to
day basis? Close sources to Kasavuli reveal that his shady underworld business
deals are soon coming to an end and the truth shall open a can of worms for
Ingwe members to see.
During
the match where Leopards lost 2-1 to Mathare FC, Kasavuli sat lonely glued to
his seat at half-time with no one around him, something unfamiliar with any of
the previous chairmen of the club since Ingwe’s inception in 1964.
Matters
got worse when the team lost, unable to hold back, fans went on rampage baying
for his blood, He was roughed up from his vehicle and forced to take refuge at
VIP stand as riotous fans exchanged with the police.
Already
over 17 branches are in top gear and in consultation with all stakeholders to
quickly intervene and save the club by setting up caretaker committee to streamline club and
address the avalanche of problems
bedeviling AFC Leopards.
AFC
Leopards is one of the country’s foremost football clubs reeling under heavy
pressure from its fans to institute change. According to an elder of the club
Vincent Shimoli, the club needs to be revamped.
The officials are Kasavuli (chairman), Patrick
Ngaira (vice chairman, suspended), George Aladwa (secretary-general), Prof
Kadima (assistant secretary), Remi Mudi (treasurer, deceased), Esther Lubember
(assistant treasurer, now acting treasurer), Timothy Lilumbi (organising
secretary), committee members Carol Amuyunzu (suspended), Steve Mungo, Samuel
Limisi (suspended).
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