Sportpesa will today, Tuesday hold a meeting to chart a way forward on sponsoring local clubs in the new season. [Photo/Courtesy]
Football teams and federations will be waiting eagerly on the decision that will be arrived at by Sportpesa over sponsorship deals.
The betting firm threatened to withdraw its engagement with sports sponsoring in the country after the government introduced a new 35 percent law that took effect on December 31 midnight.
The company, which is the biggest betting firm in the country, will today, Tuesday, hold an urgent meeting with club representatives and federations at Intercontinental Hotel, Nairobi, to chart a way forward.
Last week, FKF President Nick Mwendwa acknowledged that their (Sportpesa) exit will hugely hurt the development of local soccer, which received a new lease of life after Sportpesa came in.
He promised to engage the government further to find a solution on the matter, which will affect even the national team Harambee Stars.
Already Premier League clubs AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia, who have benefited from the betting firm’s sponsorship, have indicated that they might withdraw from continental tournaments.
According to Ingwe Chairman Dan Mule, they might not be able to participate in the tournament if Sportpesa makes good their threat.
“I don’t know if we can honor those fixtures without sponsorship. We could go back to begging from politicians, but no individual can provide air tickets for a team of 30 players for the entire tournament. It is very expensive. We may have to strike it off the budget," said Mule as quoted by the Nation.
Last week, the High Court upheld the new tax laws that require betting, lotteries, and gaming to pay 35 percent tax as directed by the government.