Bandari overcame Sofapaka 1-0 last weekend, but head coach Ken Odhiambo tore into his former employers for bringing such low quality standard balls to the game, further making a rallying plea to the Federation to do something about the situation.
Bandari head coach Ken Odhiambo has launched a scathing attack on Sofapaka for allegedly bringing substandard match balls to their recent FKF Premier League fixture at the Mbaraki Stadium in Mombasa.
The game, which Bandari won 1-0 courtesy of an Alfred Tanui strike, was overshadowed by Odhiambo’s fury over what he termed as ‘supermarket standard’ balls.
Speaking after the match, Odhiambo did not hold back in his criticism, calling on the federation to enforce higher standards for essential aspects of the game.
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“The qualities of balls teams are bringing to the league are a joke. What kind of Premier League is this where teams can bring balls of such low standard?” Odhiambo asked in frustration.
A former Sofapaka head coach himself, Odhiambo insisted that the use of poor-quality balls was damaging to the league’s integrity and overall development.
He emphasized that proper size-five balls with adequate pressure should be a non-negotiable requirement for topflight football in Kenya.
“This is not good for our game. It is not good for its development. Let us start with little things like these. This league is derailing because of teams that do not have match balls,” he lamented.
“If you have no money, stay at home. Withdraw from the league if you do not have money. What are you doing if you have no resources? Go and start vending vegetables if you cannot afford balls,” he added in a fiery outburst.
Odhiambo further argued that the state of the league was deteriorating due to such issues, pointing out that low-quality balls affected the quality of play, as they failed to travel properly due to lack of pressure.
“If we want our league to grow, we have to look at these little things. Let us not assume. Our pitches, our balls need to be of higher quality because these things are killing our sport.”
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The FKF Premier League has struggled with consistency in the supply of official match balls. During the Kenya Premier League Limited era, Puma had an agreement to supply official balls from 2012 to 2015.
Before FIFA imposed a ban on the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) in 2021, the governing body had distributed 1,600 match balls to teams in the topflight, National Super League, Division One, and the Women’s Premier League.
However, with the league now facing financial struggles and FKF grappling with a Ksh 400 million debt, clubs have been left to fend for themselves, including purchasing their own match balls and bringing at least five to a matchday. This situation has led to inconsistencies in quality, with teams like Sofapaka allegedly providing substandard balls for official fixtures.
Odhiambo’s remarks highlight the growing frustrations within Kenyan football as stakeholders continue to push for higher standards in an increasingly challenging financial environment.
