The broadcast sponsorship deal that was entered between Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and Tanzania pay Television channel Azam TV will open up more opportunities for Kenya players to ply their trade in Europe and the Middle East.
According to Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga , this new partnership with Azam TV will help Kenyan footballers earn opportunities to top countries abroad as it gives them the much needed exposure on television something that was lacking.
Last week, FKF penned a seven-year deal with Tanzania’s broadcasting company Azam, which will see the local topflight league get wide coverage on a weekly basis.
“The FKF’s new partnership with Azam will be very very good because players are going to be exposed. A lot of talents will be out there and our talented footballers will have a chance to impress scouts from Europe and the Middle East for them to be signed by clubs in those areas,” Olunga said.
Football Kenya Federation unveiled Azam Tv as the FKF Premier League broadcast partner in a deal worth USD 1Million (around Ksh145 Million) for the first season, with an increment of 10% for the subsequent seasons. Under the deal, Azam Media will air four matches in every round on their Pay TV and Digital platforms.
The partnership which will run for seven years will see the company spend USD 1 Million (about 145 million shillings) for the first season, with an increment of 10% for the subsequent seasons. Under the deal, Azam Media will air four matches in every round on their Pay TV and Digital platforms.
FKF president Nick Mwendwa said that the journey to bring back to the league a broadcast partner was never easy but noted that the federation is committed to ensure that Kenyan football continues to grow as part of the country’s preparations for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Mwendwa expressed his gratitude to Azam Media for dedicating resources towards the development of the league and Kenyan football at large.
Olunga was also quick to praise the impact Kenya’s friendly match against Qatar will have in terms of giving the players exposure to prospectively earn moves abroad.
“This friendly against Qatar will give us another opportunity and platform to showcase their skills because there will be many scouts in the game.”
The 29-year-old also explained why the Middle East is a market where big stars are choosing to continue their careers after 2023 saw a massive influx of players moving to the region, including former Barcelona and Liverpool star Coutinho, who is expected to forge a formidable partnership with the former Gor Mahia star for Al Duhail.
“For the longest time, the Middle East has been a market where a lot of people have not explored but now people are starting to see the movement of big players coming to the Middle East, Qatar, Saudi, and UAE,” Olunga said.
The left-footed forward has also discussed his role as a Kenyan ambassador in terms of trying to create a friendly environment for his peers to be scouted.
“It has opened more doors for other players to come in and compete and at the end of the day, players like me being a Kenyan ambassador there, my main role is to try and compete effectively so that I can perform quite well so that Kenya can perform well in terms of football.
“It gives these scouts and coaches the belief that there are other talented players in Kenya. So, it is also really important on my side to try and compete quite well with these other big stars so that we can give a better platform for these other players to be seen and scouted as well.”
Harambee Stars are due to face Qatar in Doha on September 7 in an international friendly as Engin Firat continues to build a team to be competitive enough in time for the start of the World Cup qualifiers.