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“Malawi national team chickens out of a friendly match”

May 22nd, 2009 | By: sscouser | 7 Comments »

Speaking to the Daily Nation of Kenya May 20, 2009 Football Kenya Vice Chairman Erastus Okul revealed that the long awaited friendly that had been scheduled to take place next week on Wednesday at The Coca-Cola National Stadium has been cancelled.

“Malawi called us to say that they couldn’t get flights to Nairobi for the tie but I think it is just an excuse.” Okul said.

I think there was just a misunderstanding. I think Malawi called to say that they don’t have funds for the tickets. Buy The Flames the tickets and Am sure they will tell you that they got the flights to Nairobi. The fact is that the friendly won’t take place because both National Teams are financially handicapped.

Time is of the essence. If there is no money, both National Teams just need to play against their respective local clubs or Team Bs. As it has been a tradition, the Kenya National Team (Harambee Stars) occasionally plays against Kenyan Premier Side clubs as the main preparation for an international match (and yet they made it this far). Instead of playing against Malawi, The Harambee Stars will play against a Kenyan Premier League side KCB. I don’t see anything wrong with playing friendlies against local clubs. It all depends on what you are trying to achieve. A friendly game against a local club might be viewed as being useless. But what if a National Team plays against a local club and loses? Lessons learned?

Sometimes International Friendlies are meaningless because the teams don’t feature all their professional or best players. International friendly is just a name. What makes it international? Playing against foreign players? We are all foreigners. Local players in one country are foreign players in another country. What’s local in one country is foreign in another country.

I don’t wanna hear “we lost because we didn’t play friendlies.”

Malawi can still qualify for the 2010 World Cup Finals

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Comments

By Tamim | May 22nd, 2009 at 2:56 pm

” The Coca-Cola National Stadium “……..looool, hilarious!!

By sscouser | May 22nd, 2009 at 4:16 pm

Tamim, it seems the picture was taken while changing to an Artificial Turf. Check this one out:

Mukhtar el Tetsh Stadium
http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pictures/middle_east/egypt/cairo_ahly.shtml

I see ridges. Is it a football ground or a potato farm? lol!

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By tamim | May 23rd, 2009 at 1:31 am

lool, i don’t see something in the picture!!!

anyway this is a training ground for al ahly and only used for youngesters matches and as a running track for club members.

u should have also checked the pictures of other giant and high standard stadiums we have.

By Native Son | May 23rd, 2009 at 5:54 pm

I am Kenyan.

I wasn’t even aware that they were changing the name of the stadium until Friday (may 22nd).

Coca Cola won an advertising tender that grants it the exclusive rights for advertising, the supply of drinks and naming rights, media e.t.c.

Now, it seems it has hit a snag all because of useless politics.

=====================================================================================

An order from the Office of the President sealed the fate of the short-lived naming rights deal for the Nyayo National Stadium.

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The Sports Stadia Management Board had granted Coca-Cola East and Central Africa Ltd the exclusive rights in February this year, but on May 6, the Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura wrote to the Sports minister Prof Hellen Sambili informing her that President Kibaki had ordered that the Coca-Cola National Stadium reverts to its original name.

“To that effect, you are also requested to renegotiate the agreement with the Coca-Cola Company so that the change of name does not affect relations with the company,” the letter, seen by the Nation, instructed.

Flurry of meetings

After a flurry of meetings between the Sports ministry, SSMB and Coca-Cola to renegotiate a name change failed to thaw any of the sides, the giant beverage company pulled out of the Sh117 million agreement.

The deal, signed on February 4 after Coca Cola won an advertised tender, gave the company exclusive rights for advertising, beverage supply and naming rights across all elements of the stadium, including tickets and the media.

It was hailed as historic, being the first of its kind in Kenya and in line with global trends where a legitimate owner of a sports facility gives up the rights to name the facility to an independent sponsoring institution (usually a corporate body or brand) at an agreed fee and for an agreed period of time.

It was also seen as an important breakthrough for SSMB in its struggle to attain financial independence from the Treasury.

But trouble soon broke out on April 28, when Sports minister Hellen Sambili said the government was reviewing the deal.

The Minister charged that the agreement was done improperly and she only became aware of it via the media, and that the name ‘Nyayo’ could not be dropped because that would destroy the legacy of this country.

SSMB wrote to Coca-Cola on May 12 requesting for a renegotiation of the contract with a view of returning the name ‘Nyayo Stadium’, and proposed the name ‘Nyayo National Stadium, Coca-Cola Sports Centre’, but the soda company declined.

Eventually, the Coca-Cola country director Alex Madisti on Thursday announced the company’s withdrawal from the naming rights.

“The proposition put forward to us by the Minister for Sports and SSMB – to co-brand the stadium with its current and former names – is against the spirit of granting exclusive naming rights to a sponsor. We are therefore unable to perform our obligations under the contract,” Mr Maditsi said.

Ms Sambili is expected to make a ministerial statement on the saga next Thursday in Parliament.

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/602016/-/ujoeay/-/index.html

By sscouser | May 23rd, 2009 at 8:29 pm

Native son, as the saga continues:

Why Mwai had to quit stadium job
Updated 8 hr(s) 4 min(s) ago
http://www.eastandard.net/sports/InsidePage.php?id=1144014985&cid=38&

Renegotiate Nyayo Stadium-Coke deal
Updated 8 hr(s) 49 min(s) ago
http://www.eastandard.net/sports/InsidePage.php?id=1144014976&cid=243&

By Joba Kamau | May 24th, 2009 at 3:58 pm

The reasons advanced by Sports Minister Hellen Sambili are not convincing, considering this was a short-term agreement that could have seen the facility revert back to its former name Nyayo National Stadium after three years. It seems she’s mad because she didn’t get part of the bribe (if ever there was any).

By Justine | May 26th, 2009 at 5:29 pm

Kenya failed to meet a FIFA deadline to complete safety work at the Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi because it did not have the money. The game against Mozambique on June 20 has been switched to 60,000-capacity Moi International Sports Center on the outskirts of the capital city.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gCFGXBkfZ0oCtvKR2GjoStL1n9gA

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