Lumumba’s Super League must support, not denigrate the K&S showpiece

Jan 05, 2011 Sports

---

Says Michael Benjamin
Three weeks of pulsating football came to a fitting conclusion on New Year’s night when Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United FC held its nerve and overcame a staunch effort by Pele FC and tucked their second K&S accolade under their belt. Naturally, the winning team would be exhilarated by the feat especially in the face of the adversarial atmosphere that preceded their inclusion in what is undoubtedly the nation’s best organized tournament.

Success is oft times shrouded in controversy and challenges and over the twenty one years of the tournament the K&S duo must have frontally confronted several of these to eventually attain the desired results. The full house that attended the finals at the National Stadium, Providence on New Year’s night could be regarded as adequate recompense for years of hard work and self sacrifice.
When one engages the organizers in discussion and is taken back in time to the inaugural days of the tournament the success story becomes more embellished. The inaugural tournament saw just four teams out of Linden—Botofago FC, Milerock FC, Eagles United FC and Central Hiker FC battling for a winner-take-all prize of approximately four thousand dollars. The current prize money exceeds five million in cash and kind and one is forced to, even if grudgingly, admit that the organizers have made great strides in this department, notwithstanding the fluctuating economic circumstances that their backbone, the business community, was forced to contend with.
A few years ago, the organizers were faced with a major decision to move the finals of the tournament from the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) Linden, where the tournament had its birth but obviously constrained by space, to more spacious and modern accommodation at the National Stadium, Providence. Removing the finals out of Linden would have affected the business community in that region since the town benefited from heightened economic activity. The argument was that the tournament had its genesis in Linden when things were not so well and therefore it would have been fair that the Lindeners should enjoy the fruits after long years of investment and sacrifice. The Lindeners remained adamant that the tournament should remain a Linden thing despite the fact that it had outgrown the limited accommodation of the MSC.
Naturally, the K&S organizers were in a quandary; should business ethics take precedence over sentiments? In the end, after deep, intense considerations, the former variable won and in 2009 the finals were staged at the nation’s premiere sports facility. From that year to now the promoters have enjoyed astronomical support from the business community as well as the patrons, even in the face of debilitating economic challenges. Needless to say the initial top prize of $4,000 of twenty one years ago increased astronomically to the present figure of some $5M in cash and kind.

Further, the K&S organizers have managed to score a first when they hosted legendary footballer, King Pele in commemoration of the 20th anniversary celebration in 2009.
While these accomplishments should be celebrated, there have arisen certain contentious issues that had threatened the successful staging of this year’s edition and even though some amount of rationalizing on the part of the dissenting parties, coupled with the intervention of the ruling football body, has served to quell these contentions, the issue seems far from over.
President of Alpha United, Odinga Lumumba, remained resolute that the five million dollars cash and kind offered by the organizers is inadequate. He also questioned what he termed as paltry, the participation fee offered by the organizers. Remaining adamant that they were less inclined to negotiate under duress, both principals of the K&S organization referred all contentions to the GFF executive for arbitration. That they were able to reach an amicable settlement and stave off any unpleasant confrontations speak highly of the maturity of all principals involved.
Commendable also, was that despite the pre-tournament hype, Alpha Utd shrugged aside the adversaries, rose from the rubble and claimed the top prize. In the face of all of the pre-tournament hype, this feat must be regarded as commendable. However, the recent pronouncements by Lumumba that he is less inclined to compete in local tournaments that offer less than $2 million has raised eyebrows especially amidst the economic challenges faced by organizers of football competitions.
The Namilco tournament organized by the Conquerors FC offers a first prize of $500,000; the Major’s Cup a similar purse. Come to think of it, there is hardly any other locally organized tournament that offers such a lucrative package as that of the K&S tournament.
One must not ignore the large sums required to offset the immense expenses of organizing local tournaments. One also, must not be oblivious to the fact that K&S would be required, like other promoters, to pay levy fees-a percentage of their earnings to the ruling body. Then there is transportation for officials and team members, accommodation for teams outside the region, meals and a host of other expenses that will rise to a substantial amount when the tallying process is through.

When Lumumba made his pitch for an increase in emoluments he either, conveniently or inexpediently, excluded these key variables in his determination. Obviously, his yardstick for increased fees is gauged by his expenditure to prepare his team. He might have a point there but regardless of whether it is a K&S tournament or participation in the Namilco, football is the life of his players and to omit them from participation because the promoters are incapable of increasing the fees, (which could be because of inadequate corporate assistance among other things) might just border on the insensitive and create undue hardships for the members of the Alpha squad.
In boxing, most managers assume the double role of manager/promoter simply because it allows them to steer their charges along the right road to world titles without having to wheel and deal with other promoters who may not have the interests of their charge/s at heart. Lumumba, a boxing promoter understands this concept very well and has transferred the ideology to the football field. At a recent press conference he intimated that he is in the process of organizing a tournament that involves several countries and offers stakes that would put the K&S ‘pittance’ to shame. Obviously, a retaliatory gesture, Lumumba is adamant that he could pull this off.
To my mind, this is indeed the litmus test. The Alpha United boss must not only be able to arrange this lucrative tournament but he must also possess the temperament and resources to sustain the gesture on a yearly basis. He has made it quite clear that his aim is to afford local footballers an opportunity to compete in a lucrative tournament and not to compete with K&S.   In other words Lumumba is attempting to achieve in one year what the K&S duo took twenty years of hard work to achieve. We welcome such efforts but will wait until he accomplishes the task before applauding.
Further, with the stance Odinga chose, he will be required to promote many more tournaments that offer the kind of prize money that he has suggested. Has he given thought to this fact? The tournament is currently in its embryonic stages, could Lumumba, and the Alpha boys for that matter, afford to play just two lucrative tournaments per year without their forms being negatively affected? How can this new initiative suggested by Odinga support the local pool of tournaments when it will be the only such tournament that offers such astronomical fees? Questions! Questions! Questions!
One is tempted to think that the Lumumba initiative may just be a knee jerk response to show up the K&S tournament. If this is the ultimate aim the initiative is doomed to failure even before it gets underway.
Wisdom, therefore, dictates that we wait the launching of this tournament before criticizing or applauding the innovator.
In the meantime, we look forward to the yearly K&S entertainment and urge all and sundry to continue supporting the initiative. Even when, after (or if) Lumumba successfully stages his super tournament, the K&S tournament would remain an important activity on the local sports calendar. The Odinga Lumumba initiative must be an inclusion, not an alternative to the nation’s premiere tournament.

---

---