By IANS,
Nairobi : Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga assured the football fraternity in the country of his government’s commitment to promote the sport.
Odinga said Thursday the government was investing in sports and was improving facilities as more coaches were being trained to nurture budding talents in local institutions.
He called on the team to emulate the performance of freshly minted African champions Zambia, who upset the odds to clinch their first continental soccer title.
“It is very unfortunate to see our teams desperately looking for sponsorship to buy air tickets whenever they have an international engagement,” the Prime Minister was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
Odinga challenged local teams to improve their performance to woo fans back to the stadia and said the sport could be used to create a national identity.
The team jets out of the country Friday for the continental tournament against Mozambique’s Ferroviario this Sunday.
The prime minister felt that with an improved performance, the club will increase gate pickings and also attract sponsorship from companies and avoid situations where the teams could not afford the expenses.
Odinga presented the side with $6,000 and further pledged $12,000 should they beat Ferroviaro de Maputo at their backyard.