Football
Exclusive: Broke AFC Leopards Respond to Mafro Over Kit Arrears
AFC Leopards reveal financial struggles amid a legal standoff with Mafro Sports over unpaid kit arrears. The club faces mounting debt as fans call for accountability and solutions.
Image Credits: AFC Media
FKF Premier League outfit AFC Leopards have admitted that they are unable to pay Mafro Sports the outstanding USD 32,000 balance owed to the kit manufacturer following a demand letter sent to them last week over the same.
The 13-time Kenyan champions are at risk of a legal battle with the Singaporian kit manufacturer over the outstanding balance and warehouse fee that has risen to over USD 10,000 in which Ingwe are to pay for half.
LEGAL TUSSLE LOOMING
On Monday, November 11, SportsBoom.com revealed a major legal tussle in which the Kenyan club and Mafro were heading towards through the deal.
AFC Leopards and Mafro signed a three-year deal that would have seen the giant kit manufacturer kit the senior team, the women’s team and the youth team.
Mafro have since accused AFC Leopards of failing to honor their part of the contract and want the stalemate resolved immediately or the two parties meet in court.
On Tuesday, AFC Leopards through their patron Alex Muteshi declared that they are ‘broke’ and will not remit money to Mafro Sports anytime soon.
The club is facing a serious financial crisis and lack of commitment from them has made it had for the kit manufacturer to believe in them.
MAFRO LOST TRUST IN AFC LEOPARDS
According to Mafro Sports East Africa representative, Shon Osimbo, Mafro was ready to work with a flexible plan with Ingwe but lack of commitment from the FKF Premier League side made it had for the kit manufacturer to believe in them.
“I did everything I could, even requesting an additional month for AFC to get organised, but they’ve made it clear the deadline has passed. The cargo has been in our possession for over two months now. It feels as though my efforts to support AFC were seen as too lenient, which likely led to the account being transferred,” Osimbo lamented.
The latest tussle as it looks seems to be headed to a dead end for SportsBoom.com has also learnt that the club has already issued a notice to the playing unit, technical staff and the secretariat that they are going to receive only parts of their October salaries.
An internal memo seen by SportsBoom.com partly read “The office has managed to get some money to settle our October salary. However take note that it is not full salary but to push us a little bit with arrears to be sorted later.”
I have advised Mafro to bring the jerseys and replica and sell them, they will get their money in two months,” Muteshi said. “We as a club are struggling financially and it is something I had already disclosed to Mafro.
Alex Muteshi
The club is facing a serious financial crisis and lack of commitment from them has made it had for the kit manufacturer to believe in them.
MAFRO LOST TRUST IN AFC LEOPARDS
According to Mafro Sports East Africa representative, Shon Osimbo, Mafro was ready to work with a flexible plan with Ingwe but lack of commitment from the FKF Premier League side made it had for the kit manufacturer to believe in them.
“I did everything I could, even requesting an additional month for AFC to get organised, but they’ve made it clear the deadline has passed. The cargo has been in our possession for over two months now. It feels as though my efforts to support AFC were seen as too lenient, which likely led to the account being transferred,” Osimbo lamented.
The latest tussle as it looks seems to be headed to a dead end for SportsBoom.com has also learnt that the club has already issued a notice to the playing unit, technical staff and the secretariat that they are going to receive only parts of their October salaries.
An internal memo seen by SportsBoom.com partly read “The office has managed to get some money to settle our October salary. However take note that it is not full salary but to push us a little bit with arrears to be sorted later.”
INABILITY TO SETTLE BILLS
A seesaw of results in the FKF Premier League coupled by the inability to settle pending arrears and salaries has put the Dan Shikanda led office on the spot with fans on social media networks calling out for the office to sort out the mess.
In March the club held a successful 60th Anniversary and has embarked on a mission to go corporate and the AFC Corporate Task Force visited Tanzanian giants Yanga SC on a pathfinding mission
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