Dafabet Head of Business Development Chris Harley (second left) with Shabana FC Secretary General Peter Omwando during the unveiling.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug, 24– National Super League outfit Wazito and Division One (Zone B) side Shabana FC have become the first Kenyan football teams to earn partnership deals with Philippine based betting company Dafabet.
The two Kenyan clubs join an elite list of clubs under the betting firm’s sponsorship, including English Premier League side West Ham as well as Championship sides Burnley and Sunderland AFC and Scottish giants Celtic.
While Shabana, relegated from the National Super League last season will enjoy a season-long partnership, Wazito’s package is modeled differently.
The partnership will see the club get a 20 percent share from every bet placed on Dafabet with a Wazito FC tag. The primary agreement is set to develop into a sponsorship deal in future with the club also set to have the company’s logo at the back of their jerseys.
“We are look forward to making this deal a full sponsorship in future. With the way this deal is tailored, we call upon our fans to come out and use our code to support us. Also, the Government should not ignore the tremendous job the betting companies are doing to promoting sport in the country,” Wazito FC chairperson Kentice Tikolo said.
Dafabet Head of Business Development Chris Harley hinted they chose Wazito because of their youth structure and their desire to bring opportunities to the grassroot.
Shabana, meanwhile will be beneficiaries of full sponsorship from the Philippine company. Though the financial details of the deal were scanty, the fee is reported to be close to Sh4.5mn.
“With this type of support, Shabana is going to rediscover its lost glory. I am seeing a possibility of us going back to the Premier League in two years time. Shabana is not a new team; it’s a team that has great history,” Shabana Secretary General Peter Omwando told Capital Sport.
The Gusii based side is credited for giving rise to notable Kenya internationals like Mike Okoth, the father of Belgian and Liverpool forward Divock Origi, Henry Motego and Simon Mulama.
“We decided to pick on Shabana because it’s a team that has large following and is one that represents the face of community football. They are down there in the third tier because of finances. They have great history and we can’t just let the lion sleep,” Dafabet Business Development boss Harley said.
