Former Harambee Stars captain Dennis Oliech has urged stakeholders to prioritise player welfare, saying better salaries and sustained investment in grassroots football are critical to unlocking Kenya's football potential.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe former national team skipper argued that while Kenya continues to produce talented footballers, many struggle to maximise their potential because of poor remuneration and inadequate support structures. He challenged corporate sponsors to increase their investment in the local game, saying stronger financial backing would benefit both clubs and players.##NAJAVA_MECA_9878705##"For our young upcoming and even current footballers to have better careers, we need to support them starting locally. We have big corporates that can sponsor our clubs and players so that footballers can earn better salaries,” said Oliech in an interview with Citizen Digital.According to the ex-international, improving players' earnings would not only enhance their welfare but also make the FKF Premier League more competitive by reducing the exodus of top talent to foreign leagues.“First, let the players’ salaries be improved, and once it is improved, I believe playing will be even easier for these players and the game will also gain more momentum. Court quashes Eliud Owalo's appointment as Gor Mahia patronThis means players will be attracted to stay in our Kenyan league rather than looking for greener pastures elsewhere,” he added.Oliech also stressed that the future of Kenyan football lies in developing young talent from the grassroots. He noted that many gifted players miss out on opportunities because they lack proper facilities, resources and conducive playing environments.“We should support these young players starting from the grassroots levels where we have so many good talents, by giving them the resources and better playing conditions. Akonnor hails Gor Mahia's character after historic CECAFA final berthWe will not only be building them as players but also building a good team for the future,” he added.The former Al Arabi man further challenged upcoming footballers to embrace discipline, insisting that talent alone cannot guarantee a successful career.“My message to the young sportsmen and women is that as you aspire to achieve great things in this field, you must never forget that it is only possible through discipline, which reflects on how you turn up to your training sessions and relations with others. That is how you learn and become better,” he noted.##NAJAVA_MECA_9879083##While calling for continued reforms, Oliech acknowledged that conditions for Kenyan footballers have improved significantly compared to his playing days. He credited successive Football Kenya Federation (FKF) administrations for enhancing the support and facilitation provided to the national team.“When I try to look at the current generation status in terms of the support and resources they get, they are much luckier than us. Gor Mahia land nightmare draw in CAF Champions League against 2025 championsI think Nick Mwendwa during his time and also currently Hussein Mohammed have made some big improvements to how the national team is facilitated,” he said.
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