Broke Leopards players leave State House empty-handed
A hopeful AFC Leopards entourage paid a courtesy call on President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House in Nairobi on Saturday and only left with a bagful of promises, Nairobi News has established.
At the breakfast meeting, President Kenyatta also officially handed a new bus to the club.
The bus was donated by Dr Nelson Sechere, an international fundraising expert.
Leopards players, who have gone for eight months without pay, were expecting a cash token from the Head of State as has always been the tradition for sports teams touring the house on the hill.
It wasn’t to be.
“He (President Kenyatta) was excited to host us and he has promised to look into ways of solving our financial challenges,” explained a source who attended the meeting.
MASHEMEJI DERBY
Leopards players have been without a consistent source of income since betting firm SportPesa pulled the plug on a multi-million shilling sponsorship deal in August 2019.
“We thank you and we are happy for what you are doing not only for yourselves but for the inspiration and hope you are giving your fellow youth. The most important thing is being a role model. And you as a youth are a role model and we appreciate and support that,” President Kenyatta told the players.
This meeting happened just a day before Leopards lost 1-0 to Gor Mahia in a highly billed Kenyan Premier League match at Kasarani stadium.
Leopards are currently placed sixth on the KPL standings with 40 points from 23 matches. Defending champions Gor Mahia are on top of the log with 54 points from a similar number of matches.