Betking spokesman explains sponsorship as ‘Doubting Thomases’ cast doubt

The recent sponsorship deal between BetKing Kenya and Football Kenya Federation (FKF) is real and above board, according to spokesman for the online betting firm.

BetKing closed a mega sponsorship deal with the federation early June this year, which will see a whopping Sh1.2 billion pumped into local football over the next five years but football stakeholders quickly poked holes in it, some even saying they doubted its existence.

In an exclusive interview with the Star, BetKing Kenya spokesman Henry Okatch sought to allay fears hovering over the management of the funds, saying the firm will ensure FKF accounts for all transactions is above board and the allocation will only benefit the intended recipients.

Asked why BetKing lacked representation during an event organised by FKF to officially unveil the deal to the public, Okatch said they had given the federation their full blessings to proceed with the ceremony and their absence shouldn’t have been a cause for concern. He further said that they will soon hold a bigger event to introduce their entire team.

“We don’t have anything we are hiding. We are a very transparent business. We are planning another unveiling ceremony in the near future.”

Contrary to speculations that the firm has its roots in Nigeria, Okatch clarified that BetKing was actually registered as a Kenyan business entity only that it had spread wings to other countries as well.

“We are a Pan-African organisation registered in Kenya. We, however, have interests in other countries just as well but our main focus is in Africa and particularly Kenya.”

“We have our offices in Karen, but currently most of our teams are working virtually and our operations continue as normal.”

He sought to pop the bubble of doubt clouding FKF’s integrity in managing football funds, saying he was not scared of being short-changed because the federation had assured BetKing that every single coin would trickle down to the actual beneficiaries.

“We are aware of what is going on but our terms of agreement are very clear. We are not dictating how the money will be used but we demand accountability. Otherwise we don’t want to be distracted by sideshows,” said Okatch.

FKF are presently in the eye of the storm after being caught up in a string of alleged financial scandals, the most recent being a government probe into the use of Sh244million which the Ministry of Sports set aside for the national team to prepare for Africa Cup of Nations 2019. Such incidents have raised eyebrows amongst football stakeholders who now question the federation’s capacity to manage the BetKing funds wisely.

On the July 6, local football teams heaved a sigh of relief, albeit cautiously, after FKF President Nick Mwendwa unveiled BetKing as the new Kenyan Premier League (KPL) partner in a KSh1.2 billion five-year deal.

About a week later, FKF pulled off another surprise when they introduced BetKing Kenya as the official Division One League title sponsor in a Sh100million five-year deal under which each of the 32 Division One clubs from Zone A and Zone B will be entitled to at least Sh500,000 annual grant from the federation.

Okatch said that BetKing’s decision to fund Kenyan leagues was informed by a burning desire to ease the financial constraints experienced by local clubs.

The clubs have been floundering about lately after their fortunes fell drastically following the controversial exit of former KPL sponsors SportPesa.

The situation has been compounded by a recent ban imposed by government on public gatherings as a Covid-19 containment measure, a move that pulled the plug on gate collections.

Okatch, therefore, believes that BetKing’s presence in the country will not only serve to cushion the teams from the financial implications of the coronavirus but will also be an opportunity to work closely with them.

“We want to focus on positive impact we can convey. Football brings communities together. We see it as an opportunity to partner with different community clubs,” he said.

He said that once the contract expires, BetKing will appraise the federation’s scorecard to establish whether the objectives of the two parties have been met before a new deal can be contemplated.

“Our decision to renew the deal will be measured against the cornerstone of what we intend to achieve in the next five years.”

Asked if they had put effective measures in place to avert a possible confrontation with authorities over tax related policies, Okatch said that they had complied with all the formalities dictated by law and saw no possibility of such an eventuality.

“BetKing meets all the regular requirements. Our aim is to work closely with the industry.”

In October last year, the government revoked licenses of several betting companies operating in Kenya including former KPL sponsors SportPesa after a task force constituted to review their licenses failed to clear their operations in the country.

  The companies allegedly failed to prove that they were tax compliant as required by the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB)

Okatch said that they would in future also consider investing in other sports besides football because their key objective was to impact positively on the community at large.

“We are a brand that wants to change the way things are done in the country. We are passionate about sports.”

He said that BetKing would be looking at the possibility of sponsoring regional tournaments but that would have to wait until Covid-19 is fully contained and normalcy resumes.

Okatch further said that the firm had not entered into any sponsorship deal with Kenyan Premier League champions Gor Mahia as has been alleged in some quarters.

“We never had talks with Gor about a sponsorship deal and we haven’t taken them to court. In fact, we only came to learn about the whole thing on social media.”