The fall from grace: Mathare United's journey from success to relegation

In the annals of Kenyan football, Mathare United's rise and subsequent fall from grace stands as a cautionary tale. Once hailed as one of the country's premier football clubs, known for nurturing and producing top talents, Mathare United's recent relegation has left fans and pundits alike pondering the reasons behind their decline.

Founded in 1994, Mathare United quickly established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the Kenyan Premier League (KPL). The club's success was built on a solid foundation, combining talented youth development programs, astute recruitment, and a dedicated coaching staff. Mathare United's style of play and commitment to nurturing young players saw them become the team to beat in Kenyan football.

The club’s first silverware came in 1998 when they won the Moi Golden Cup sponsored by the then president, the late Daniel Arap Moi. It is now known as the FKF Cup.

In 2000, they again retained the cup to stamp their name among the clubs to beat in the country.

2008 was perhaps the greatest year for the club in terms of silverware as they unsurprisingly won the Kenya Premier League title in a convincing way.

During their heyday, Mathare United produced a host of top talents who went on to represent the national team and ply their trade in foreign leagues. The likes of Dennis Oliech, Mulama brothers (Titus and Simeon), Asman Ngaiwa, Jack Oguda ( CEO KPL) Duncan Ochieng, Antony Kimani, Walter Odede and Sunday Odhiambo are just a few examples of the exceptional talents that emerged from the club's ranks and went on to be a core part of the national football team, the Harambee Stars.

However, over the past few seasons, Mathare United's fortunes have taken a drastic turn. The team's performance on the pitch deteriorated, leading to a string of poor results and ultimately relegation from the FKF-PL. Several factors contributed to this decline.

Speaking to Citizen Digital, Mathare United CEO Jecton Obure highlighted his team's misfortune that made the team reach where they are.

First and foremost, Obure states that financial instability plagued the club. Mathare United, like many other community Kenyan football clubs, struggled to secure stable sponsorship deals and generate sufficient revenue. The lack of financial support hampered their ability to attract and retain top-quality players, leading to a decline in the overall squad strength.

“For the last three or four years, myself and the Chairman Bob (Munro) have met more than 40 companies in the private sector, banking sector, betting sector, supermarkets and non has come through,” The CEO said.

He cited the struggle to find a sponsor was due to the fact that most companies do not want to support football in the country due to hooliganism which the CEO sighted as a thing of the past and the stakeholders in the companies not having an interest in football.

Unlike other community clubs, which have a tribal incline, Obure says Mathare struggled to even raise funds when they called for a fundraiser. 

Covid 19 hit the world hard and Mathare United was not spared. Obure says when the virus came, it affected the team as all sponsors decided to go under and salvage their resources and redirect them elsewhere. This left the club with an already deeper financial constraint.  

In addition, Obure cited that the club could not compete with established clubs that are run by corporations. The corporate run teams, he says, had an upper hand especially in the transfer market where they bought the top talents from Mathare.

“If you are building the team and at the end of the season you can’t keep them (the players) because you are struggling financially, it  can be a big challenge and that hit our club.” Said Obure.

While Mathare United's relegation is undoubtedly a blow to the club and its fans, it also serves as a wake-up call for the broader Kenyan football community.

Obure says the government should step in more and help the local league and that the federation should make sure there is even balance of teams across the counties as this will generate gate fees from fans who will go watch their teams.

Match fixing has plagued the beautiful game and Mathare United was not spared. The club was forced to suspend two of its key players who were found guilty of match fixing which in turn led Mathare to go on a 9 nine game losing streak.

As half of the teams competing in the FKF Premier League are located in Nairobi, the CEO claims that football is not regionally balanced.

“I think every county should adopt at least a team and take football across the country. You adapt to that region and you have a bigger fan base. Anytime you have a home match many fans will attend the match for they will be attached to the team,” Obure said.

He cited that the extra costs that arise from hosting a home match will easily be payable as the gate fees that will be collected will be used to pay the bills.

Mathare Youth Sports Association(MYSA) was the foundation for the Mathare United. However, due to lack of donor fundings, the CEO says they could not continue with their operations and that affected the main team greatly as MYSA was the main feeder club to Mathare United success.

Obure continued by saying MYSA was also hampered by inside politics that arose within MYSA as coaches tried to force players they wanted to play in the club.

The CEO rubbished the rumours that have been circulating online that the club was to fold and end its operation. He maintained that the club is now gearing up to play in the National Super League (NSL) and are hoping to bounce back after only one season.

Rebuilding Mathare United from their current predicament will not be an easy task, but it is not impossible. Obure states that the club intends to go back to their roots and must focus on re-establishing its youth development program that brought success to the senior team. In addition, the team aims to invest in player recruitment and retention, and foster a culture of stability and continuity within the coaching staff.

The road to redemption will be arduous, but Mathare United can draw inspiration from their past successes and the talent that once flourished within their ranks. With careful planning, a renewed commitment to excellence, and the support of the football community, Mathare United has the potential to rise from the ashes and reclaim its status as one of Kenya's premier football clubs.