Collins Sichenje's Charlton Move Exposes Millions Lost by Kenyan Clubs Through Poor Transfer Deals

Collins Sichenje completed a high-profile transfer to English Championship side Charlton Athletic, but the move has highlighted a recurring financial pitfall for Kenyan football clubs.

The 22-year-old midfielder signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with the London-based club on Monday, February 2.

Charlton reportedly paid Serbian outfit FK Vojvodina a fee of approximately €1.9 million (around Ksh 290 million) to secure his services.

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While the transfer marks a significant milestone for another Kenyan talent reaching a major European league, it also raises questions about the financial benefits for the local clubs that developed him.

Collins Sichenje's journey began at Green Commandos, the Kakamega High School team, before he joined AFC Leopards in 2019, where he rose to prominence and earned his first national team call-ups.

His path to England included a brief spell in Greece, a return to AFC Leopards, a 2022 transfer to Sweden's AIK, and loan spells in Finland and Serbia before his move to Vojvodina was made permanent.

When AFC Leopards sold Collins Sichenje to AIK in 2022 for a reported KSh 5 million, the deal crucially lacked a sell-on clause. This contractual provision would have entitled AFC Leopards to a percentage (typically 10-20%) of any subsequent transfer fees.

As a result, when the Harambee Stars defender was later sold for a much larger sum, AFC Leopards received no further compensation. In stark contrast, Vojvodina demonstrated shrewd business acumen by including a 20% sell-on clause in their deal with Charlton.

This ensures the Serbian club will profit significantly if Collins Sichenje makes another big-money move in the future, a potential windfall that Kenyan clubs will not share in.

Beyond sell-on clauses, FIFA's solidarity payment mechanism is designed to reward training clubs. This rule allocates five per cent of a player's transfer fee (approximately €95,000 in this case) to be distributed among the clubs that trained the player between the ages of 12 and 23.

AFC Leopards should be eligible for a portion of this payment, provided their role is documented in Collins Sichenje's player passport.

However, Kenyan clubs frequently miss out on such payments due to several factors, including a lack of aggressive pursuit, incomplete paperwork, and players leaving on free transfers after their contracts expire, which negates any solidarity claims.

Collins Sichenje's success is a source of national pride, but it also serves as a painful reminder of the millions lost by local clubs over the years through weak negotiations and a failure to adopt the long-term strategies employed by their European counterparts. The funds missed could have been invested in infrastructure, player salaries, and youth development.

For now, the focus is on Sichenje's promising career in England. However, for AFC Leopards and other Kenyan Premier League clubs, this transfer is a clear call to improve their business practices, negotiate smarter contracts, and diligently pursue their rights under FIFA regulations to secure the future of Kenyan football.