CHAN 2024: A tale of Sportswashing executed to perfection

CHAN 2024 was a resounding success both on and off the pitch. In their maiden appearance, the Harambee Stars reached the quarterfinals. Topping a group that included  eventual champions, Morocco and tournament favourites the DRC.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino gifting President Ruto a jersey 1

We also made new millionaires along the way after President William Ruto made hugely generous promises to the team for every win or draw in the tournament. It was a gesture that motivated the boys to perform way better than many had predicted at the start of the tournament. 

It was also a calculated move to improve his public image amid the widespread protests against the government. CHAN 2024 was a blessing in disguise for President Ruto. And he wasn't wasting that chance. 

The movie Gladiator (let’s all agree to forget the sequel), is one of the most beautifully written pieces of Cinema. From an epic opening scene, legendary music to a story of love, grief, betrayals and of course Gladiatorial battles in the Colosseum. But some of the most memorable scenes in the movie revolve around powerful delivery of lines of script that stick to your head.

In one scene, two Senators, Gracchius and Gaius, have a conversation about the new emperor (Commodus) and his directive of hosting games in the Colosseum. The backstory of this is that the people of Rome were restless after the death of the legendary emperor, Marcus Aurelius, and Commodus wanted to put his own stamp on Rome while quelling any dissonance from the Senate.

Gracchius tells Gaius,“He (Commodus) knows who Rome is. Rome is the mob. He will conjure magic for them and they will be distracted. And he will take their lives. And he will take their freedom. And still they will roar. The beating heart of Rome isn’t the marble of the Senate. It’s the sand of the Colosseum. He will give them death. And they will love him for it.” Moi International Sports centre Kasarani was the President’s Colosseum and the football crowd would be his small piece of Rome. His mission: Conquering the crowd.

Sportswashing

Sportswashing refers to when an authoritarian regime uses a major sporting event like the World Cup or the Olympics as a method of distraction for its crimes against its population. It can also be a company, organization or individual using sports to improve a tarnished reputation hoping to distract people from the negative aspects such as human rights abuses. Kenya’s CHAN 2024 provided a textbook example.

As Kenya prepared to host its first ever major International football tournament, one wondered what kind of atmosphere the crowd would create inside the stadium. There had been a wave of rebellion against the government since the historic 2024 gen z protests. 

Cathedrals, halls, night clubs, parks had all become venues for citizens to voice how much resentment they felt towards their government. Having that many young people in one place definitely caused some jitters in some circles. It seemed like a PR disaster in waiting.

Gen Z protests 

CHAN 2024 came less than a month after the sabasaba demonstrations where police brutality again led to the death of at least 11 Kenyan citizens exercising their democratic right. A further 16 people died during the first anniversary of the 2024 gen z protests in June this year. According to this report by Amnesty International, at least 65 people were killed, 89 forcibly disappeared and thousands arbitrarily arrested during the 2024 finance bill protests. Kenyans were at war with their own government.

The President on the other hand, had managed to deliver the hosting of a first major continental football tournament on Kenyan soil. This was already a ‘win’ for him. But he also understood the tournament presented him with a unique opportunity to improve his reputation.

'One Million' 

In a meeting with the national team the Harambee Stars, a day before their opening game against the DRC, at the Pullman Hotel, Upper Hill, Nairobi. President Ruto made a flurry of financial promises to the team.

Every player would get one million Kenyan shillings for every win recorded at the tournament while a draw would be worth 500,000ksh. In the event the team reached the quarterfinals, they would receive 60m Ksh, the Semis would guarantee 70m and winning the tournament would culminate in a 600mksh jackpot. 

The rest as they say, is history. The financial promises uplifted the team and they went on to reach the quarter finals, fattening their bank balances in the process.The President's move to award the team proved successful on the pitch as well as in the public limelight.

The stadiums were full. All everyone was talking about was CHAN 2024. Social media was abuzz with photos and videos of Kenyans enjoying themselves in stadiums. 

The chanting inside the stadium for me was the clearest sign of the President's strategy paying off. Aside from the famous 'Unbwogable' hit song by Gidi Gidi Maji Maji, the most frequent rallying call from the fans to the players was a chant about the President's one million promise. 

Chants of ' One million!' echoed throughout Moi International Sports Center Kasarani anytime the Harambee Stars took to the field. Previously, chants of ' Wantam' (call for the current government to go home in the next election) had dominated places of social gathering for months. 

The very youth who had been brutalized by the regime were now chanting a slogan legitimizing that same government. The irony was striking. President Ruto had conquered the Colosseum, Rome was now his.

This tweet by a leading Kenyan sportscaster surely brought out a few smiles from the government's camp. A young influential sports figure, listened to by thousands of youth giving his approval to the state for a job well done. 

Think he's the only one? Definitely not. Such is the power of Sportswashing in shaping public opinion. Funny enough, the above-mentioned Sportscaster is a Manchester City fan. A team that led to the coining of the term Sportswashing to describe states owning football clubs to cleanse their image. 

On paper football should be separate from politics but on the African continent politics has a choke hold on a many of the sectors. For CHAN 2024 to be successful, the current Kenyan government had to invest heavily into the tournament and that they did.

The financial promises were a welcome surprise and they worked like a treat. The players got life changing money while the current regime gained a few more supporters including FIFA president Giano Infantino and CAF president Patrice Motsepe.

The FIFA boss gifted President Ruto a number of gifts when he visited Statehouse, Nairobi on 30th August 2025. President Ruto received a FIFA jersey labelled number 1, which Infantino said was symbolic of Kenya’s commitment and contribution to global football.“You are officially summoned to be part of the FIFA team, and that’s why we are giving you the FIFA jersey,” Infantino remarked during the presentation.

CAF president Patrice Motsepe gifts President Ruto a ball 

CAF President Patrice Motsepe praised Kenya, alongside co-hosts Tanzania and Uganda, for successfully delivering what he termed the best edition of CHAN in history. "This is the best CHAN ever. Your commitment and sacrifices have made it the most successful, so we are so grateful,” Motsepe said while addressing President Ruto.

The two most powerful men in football in this part of the world left the country singing praises of the current regime. How that relationship develops will be intriguing to see. 

Football has a cult- like following in most parts of the world and Kenya is no exception. As such, it provides an opportunity for leaders to gain favour with the people.

Some may argue that this was purely about sport, not politics. That Kenya needed to hit the reset button and refrain a bit from politics. But that doesn't mean the government didn't use football as a tool for publicity. President Ruto has left his mark on CHAN2024. It will be forever remembered as the 'One Million' tournament. 

CHAN 2024 was a master class in how to use sports to shape public perception. The masses got their fun, the players got their goodies while the regime improved its public image. 

How long-term are the gains? Was this all a PR strategy or has the government finally decided to take Sports seriously? Sportswashing is upon us , will the people see through it or does the end justify the means?