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Former Harambee Stars and Inter Milan midfielder McDonald Mariga has explained how he will use the experience he gained from playing in Europe to revolutionise Kenyan football.
Former Harambee Stars and Inter Milan midfielder McDonald Mariga has shared three major reforms he intends to implement if his team, led by Hussein Mohammed, is elected into Football Kenya Federation (FKF) office in December.
Mariga, who transitioned into politics and entrepreneurship after retiring from football in 2018, was officially unveiled as Mohammed’s running mate last Friday. Their bid aims to take over from the current FKF regime, led by Nick Mwendwa.
Having enjoyed a successful career in Europe, including winning the UEFA Champions League under José Mourinho in 2010, Mariga believes there are key lessons from his time abroad that can transform Kenyan football. During an interview with Citizen TV’s Sporty Monday, he emphasised the need to prioritise players, improve salaries, and enhance talent scouting across the country.
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12:12 - 14.10.2024
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Mariga highlighted that in Europe, players are the top priority, a mindset he believes is lacking in Kenya. "We don’t support our players that much. In Kenya, we think players are afterthoughts, but in Europe, they are the priority," he noted. Mariga stressed that players deserve proper treatment, with coaches, team managers, and club presidents coming after them in terms of importance.
“We have to treat players properly,” Mariga emphasised. One of his primary goals is to ensure that players are supported both on and off the field, which he believes is crucial for the success of Kenyan football.
Mariga drew attention to the salary disparities between Kenya and neighboring countries like Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda, where players are compensated better. This has led to an exodus of Kenyan players seeking better opportunities abroad.
“We have to sort out the salaries. You can see most of our players jumping ship to go to those countries. Why can’t we do that ourselves and pay our players well?” Mariga posed. His plan includes reviewing the salary structure to make Kenyan football more attractive and prevent talent drain.
One of the biggest issues facing Kenyan football, according to Mariga, is the lack of proper structures for scouting and developing talent, especially for the national teams. He believes that ex-players should be heavily involved in the scouting process.
“We have to involve our ex-players in talent scouting. We have academies, but they are not run professionally. We want to make ex-players team managers, not run FKF, but help scout for young players and monitor the leagues,” he said.
Mariga also stressed the importance of reaching untapped regions like Kisumu, Western Kenya, and Mombasa to discover young talent. He added that training ex-footballers through seminars and classes would help equip them with the skills needed to identify and nurture future stars.
Mariga has ambitious plans to set up professional football academies in every county to refine young talents. Both he and his brother, former Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton midfielder Victor Wanyama, started an academy in Busia that is now in its final stages of development, but he believes that it has to cut across all counties.
He pointed out that, unlike in Europe, many of Kenya’s top players, including himself, grew up playing football in the streets without access to proper coaching and development structures.
"We need academies in every county with the best coaches to nurture these kids and help strengthen Harambee Stars,” Mariga stated. He also noted that the modern-day distractions, such as video games, have reduced the number of young players honing their skills on the streets.
Mariga also expressed concerns about the current state of women’s football in Kenya, calling it unsustainable. He revealed plans to professionalise the women’s football league and attract more corporate sponsorship to support the clubs financially.
“In Europe, football clubs release their budgets before the year starts. You show that you have resources to be able to pay salaries and cover other expenses. But in Kenya, we are still lagging,” he observed. Mariga’s vision includes creating an organized league structure that will make women’s football more competitive and financially viable.
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