Public and Private Sector Unity Key to Growing Kenya’s Football, Sportpesa CEO

Liverpool, on Wednesday night, thrashed Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium to secure a massive three points in the Premier League title race. After the win, fans chanted, “Now you’re gonna believe us, we’re gonna win the league,” as Liverpool issued their statement.

Some of the lucky ones to have witnessed the game live include the Sportpesa Chief Executive, Captain Ronald Karauri, his wife Ruth Karauri, Arsenal’s big fan, and the right Honourable Raila Odinga, among others other delegates.

A little over a month ago, Liverpool, albeit with two games in hand, was a monumental 14 points behind Manchester City, prompting discussions of the title race being done and dusted in mid-January.

However, Man City’s Pep Guardiola knew better than to think matters were over. Mainly due to his previous experiences with Jurgen Klopp’s side. He wasn’t wrong. With this ninth successive league victory over a troubled Arsenal, Liverpool capitalized on City’s slip at Crystal Palace to close the gap on City to just a solitary point with nine games remaining.

Commenting on the impressive performance put on by Liverpool, Captain Karauri emphasized the importance of Kenya’s public and private sectors to rally their resources and uplift the failing football industry in Kenya.

“It is possible to uplift football standards in Kenya if only we work together with various partners to grow the game. We need to look for partners to ensure that our young men and women get a chance to showcase their football talent on the world stage,” Karauri said.

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He added that as he watched the Arsenal vs. Liverpool game, he dreamt of seeing more Kenyans play in the top league in a revived sports sector.

Enhancing and expanding corporate and private partnerships will allow Kenya to contribute to the sustainable growth of several different sports positively, but mainly football, with a shared dream to see Kenya make a bold statement in soccer.

“The revival of our local football will help us realize the dreams of many of our young sportsmen and women. I walk the talk. Kasarani stadium should be busy hosting top matches. This weekend will ensure several football academies in Kasarani get the right kits for all their squads to kick start this dream,” he commented, hinting at the upcoming event Sportpesa holds at Kasarani Stadium.

The event will see SportPesa distribute football kits to various academies and will be held alongside the groundbreaking for leveling a playing field.

Captain Karauri’s words are not far-fetched. Sportpesa has previously partnered with Arsenal FC to launch an initiative dubbed ‘Coaches to Count On.’ The deal saw the betting firm develop ‘football clinics’ across Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa, with Arsenal FC developing comprehensive training programs for aspiring soccer coaches.