Exclusive: Goal Diggers – Championing the course for Sports Development in Africa

Mr. Collins Okinyo, a veteran sports journalist and the founder of Soka25east, shares insights into the intricate landscape of African sports. Mr. Okinyo does this by analysing the shortcomings in the industry as compared to the ones in developed countries. These shortcomings include a lack of sponsorships, issues related to match-fixing, problems in player scouting, payment discrepancies, and constraints in broadcasting airtime, among others. 

iGaming AFRIKA: Could you please tell us more about yourself? 

Collins: I am Collins Okinyo, a seasoned sports journalist with a bias for football and over 20 years of experience in the field. Additionally, I  double as a Marketer and a Digital evangelist.

iGaming AFRIKA: As The owner of one of Africa’s leading football updates websites, Soka25east, what was the mission behind establishing it? 

Collins: After covering football in Kenya, I had to challenge myself to grow and cover football in the entire African continent.  Thus www.soka25east.com was launched in 2014 with an initial view of covering East African football news. We, however, expanded to Africa to ensure we gave our readers all football news and updates from all corners of the continent.

iGaming AFRIKA: What is the motivation behind your zealous passion for the sports industry in Africa? 

Collins: I believe Africa has a great potential that has not been harnessed properly and as journalists, we should play an integral part in dispensing information to the fans and masses.

iGaming AFRIKA: What are some of the major challenges sports athletes face in Africa that are making it difficult for several talented African players to compete on a global scale? What do you think can be done to ensure that our players get opportunities to practise their skills in the top clubs in the world? 

Collins: Many (African) athletes lack opportunities to participate in competitions around the world as they lack the proper infrastructure to train with, unlike their European counterparts.  More emphasis should be put on sports infrastructure development to provide the opportunity for many talented athletes to harness their potential and get opportunities to compete.

iGaming AFRIKA: How can we ensure less hooliganism showcased by fans in African sports? How is this hooliganism ailing the development of sports in Africa?

Collins: Fans should be educated on the importance of maintaining law and order. They should also be taught to refrain from hooliganism as it not only gives a bad name to African sports for viewers but also hinders new talents from coming into the industry.

iGaming AFRIKA: With your vast experience reporting about sports, what can African sports leagues learn from European sports leagues in terms of growth for the Sports sector? 

Collins: African clubs should invest in fan engagement, get the right people to do their marketing, and have strategic plans to have more sponsors as partners in sports development.

iGaming AFRIKA: Players in developed leagues and countries are well catered for, especially on their pay, as opposed to the local leagues and countries in Africa where most players cannot depend on only sports as a source of income. Do you think this is one of the reasons why African clubs are not performing well? Furthermore, how can gaming businesses come in to support clubs in meeting their financial needs? 

Collins: To retain talents in Africa, funds must be used to keep the best players, something that is not the case. Gaming businesses can help bring in the much-needed capital clubs can use to invest in the retention of good talents.

iGaming AFRIKA: Recently, there has been a growing trend of players actively engaging in gambling. How is this trend impacting the sports industry?

Collins Okinyo: Player involvement  in gambling, especially in Africa, has contributed to match-fixing so it’s important to alert players to the extent they can be involved in gambling. Betting has played a crucial role in ensuring match-fixing is rampant in African sports. This problem cannot be solely addressed by the sports community; government intervention is crucial. Legislation should be crafted to deter individuals from engaging in this vice, potentially including punitive measures such as imprisonment.

iGaming AFRIKA: What lessons can we learn from international bodies that have managed to tackle the issue of players engaging in gambling activities? 

Collins: Top leagues across Europe are steadfast in ensuring players conform to the rules and we have seen instances in Europe where players are suspended for several months to help curb the vice.

iGaming AFRIKA: Compared to clubs and leagues abroad, the involvement of betting companies in sponsoring community sports is considerably minimal in Africa. This raises the question of why betting companies have not shown much interest in our local sports scene. Furthermore, it begs consideration as to whether it is reasonable for these companies to sponsor leagues or teams. What is your take on this? 

Collins: It’s unfortunate that some betting companies based in Africa make money in the continent and take most of it back to Europe instead of investing it back in African clubs. Betting companies must start getting involved locally but African clubs and federations must become transparent, and accountable, and provide a conducive atmosphere for the sponsors.

iGaming AFRIKA: How can we address the issue of inadequate broadcasting of African football leagues and tournaments, resulting in lower viewership compared to top European leagues?

Collins Okinyo: More free-to-air (channels) should be encouraged, the problem with these types of channels is that they are government-owned entities that are mostly broke and can’t acquire broadcasting rights. Sponsors want eyeballs on their products and not everyone in emerging markets like Africa can afford to Pay TV subscriptions. So, more players need to be encouraged to bid for the rights to broadcast African football leagues.

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iGaming AFRIKA: What can be attributed to the popularity and the growth experienced with the South African sports ecosystem and how can the rest of Africa learn from it?

Collins: The broadcast of Sports in South Africa and the large number of sponsors willing to come through have played a great role in ensuring Sports in South Africa have adequately developed. 

iGaming AFRIKA: What role does the media have when it comes to ensuring that responsible gambling is well articulated through the various media outlets in Africa? 

Collins: Media must be at the forefront of dispensing information about responsible gambling to avoid issues like match-fixing. Media should also help in highlighting both the positives and the negatives of gambling.

iGaming AFRIKA: Why is it crucial for gambling companies engaged in corporate social responsibility initiatives related to the sports industry to prioritise grassroots football?

Collins Okinyo: Gambling companies make money from the masses and they should in turn give back to the local communities through social responsibilities while growing sports entities. 

iGaming AFRIKA: Most African countries face significant challenges in providing adequate gaming facilities, to the point that many FIFA World Cup qualifiers are forced to be hosted in other countries. To address this issue and promote the development of sports infrastructure in Africa, what are some of the measures gaming brands actively operating on the continent can take to address this rampant issue? 

Collins: The issue of infrastructure solely depends on the governments of the day. The gaming brands can only come in to help spur the sport’s growth by giving sponsorships tailored towards sports development. 

iGaming AFRIKA: How can betting brands take advantage of the AFCON 2027 to further grow their businesses while at the same time fostering the growth and development of the sports industry on the continent? 

Collins Okinyo: They have to be part of the commercial entities that sponsor different segments of the competition to ensure 2027 is successful.

iGaming AFRIKA: Most African countries are grappling with the issue of underage gambling. What is the major cause for this and how can this be avoided? 

Collins: Underage gambling is the problem that arises when the gadgets are put in the wrong hands at the wrong time so parents need to monitor what their kids are doing on the gadgets like telephones they buy them.

iGaming AFRIKA: Lastly, does Africa have a chance to compete on the global scale in sportswise? 

Collins: Where do you see the sector in the next 5 years? Africa has so much potential we only need goodwill to be executed in a precise way. I foresee big changes in five years and examples of Morocco getting to the FIFA World Cup Semi-finals tell you that Africa has bridged the gap.

Quotes

“I believe Africa has a great potential that has not been harnessed properly” 

“To retain talents in Africa, funds must be used to keep the best players, something that is not the case.” 

“It’s unfortunate that some betting companies based in Africa make money in the continent and take most of it back to Europe instead of investing it back in African clubs.” 

“Media must be at the forefront of dispensing information about responsible gambling to avoid issues like match-fixing.”