27/01/2025                                                                            
                                    
                                                                            
                                            MY THOUGHTS ON THE KELLY MADADA INTERVIEW 
AFC Leopards’ current midfield sensation, Kelly Madada, recently gave what appeared to be a ‘vox pop’ style post-match interview, which has since gone viral. (I’m unsure of the exact timing of the recording.)
During the interview, he was asked which players he would like to one day play alongside. He mentioned Alphonse Omija, Austin Odhiambo, and a third player, presumably the want-away Rooney Onyango — all of whom are from AFC Leopards’ arch-rivals, Gor Mahia FC.
However, the key moment came towards the end when the journalist asked Kelly if he would ever consider playing for Gor Mahia.
Caught off guard, Kelly gave a somewhat non-committal response, saying something like, “When the right time comes, it could happen.”
This remark sparked outrage among some AFC Leopards fans, who didn’t take kindly to his answer. The discussion raged for much of the day, with some media colleagues siding with the club, even suggesting it was unethical for the interviewer to approach the player without prior consent from the club.
While there’s a kernel of truth in the ethics debate, I don’t think the situation boils down to a question of ethics. It’s more about administrative procedure, which, depending on the context, may or may not have been followed. But I don’t believe this constitutes ethical misconduct.
Had the player been coerced into giving the interview, or if his comments were edited or misrepresented, then we’d be discussing ethics. But as it stands, this seems more like a lapse in judgment on the player’s part.
If the rule you’re referring to is indeed in his contract, and he still agreed to the interview, that’s a misstep on his part, not the reporter’s. 
Journalists are in the business of gathering and disseminating news, and when you’re a rising star like Kelly Madada, it’s unlikely you’d refuse an interview if granted. 
Players should not be discouraged from engaging with the media to cover up for the lack of proper media training. This is something the Players Association and, or their respective clubs’ media teams should be addressing to better sensitize players.
Ultimately, I don’t see this as a ‘treasonous’ mistake deserving of all the online backlash. To me, it’s simply a case of a young player lacking media literacy, like someone who doesn’t yet fully grasp what to say, when, and why.
My argument is premised on the fact that the biggest revenue earner for football worldwide is the sale of media rights, an invaluable asset which stem from what is referred to as the ‘player’s image rights’.
It is, therefore, a no-brainer that, there’s an undeniable symbiotic relationship between sports and the media. Consequently, Sportspeople in general can’t live in isolation forever for fear of offending their employer’s feelings. They just need to be equipped with the right knowledge on how to manage their relationship with the media, and that’s all I can pick out from this whole Kelly Madada saga.
That’s all from behind my lens, now that I don’t have a desk😁😁😁😁🚩🏳️📌.