22Bet Signs Victor Wanyama and Partners With His Football Foundation
Former Tottenham, Celtic, Southampton and CF Montréal midfielder Victor Wanyama has been named a brand ambassador for 22Bet. The partnership was officially announced in Nairobi.
The agreement goes beyond a traditional ambassador deal. 22Bet will also become the principal partner of the Victor Wanyama Foundation and Wanyama Football Academy. The initial contract runs for two years and includes an option for renewal.
The partnership forms part of 22Bet’s corporate social responsibility programme. Through the deal, the bookmaker will support the foundation’s youth development work and help move forward the construction of Wanyama Football Academy in Busia County. The facility is currently around 80% complete.
The academy is designed to identify promising young Kenyan footballers, develop their skills and give them a clearer route into professional football. One of its main goals is to shorten the difficult pathway from grassroots football in Kenya to stronger clubs in Europe and other international markets.
According to Wanyama, talented Kenyan players often spend too long working their way through lower divisions after moving abroad. Better preparation at home could allow them to begin their overseas careers at a more competitive level.
“Our problem in Kenya is that the pathway is long, so this partnership means accelerating that pathway. We don’t want players starting from the fourth division when they go abroad. We want a situation where our players start at a higher level so that they are not shocked when they get to Europe,” Wanyama said.
Wanyama is a natural figurehead for the project. He remains one of the most successful footballers Kenya has produced and understands the route from local football to the top level of the European game.
In 2012, he became the first Kenyan player to score in the UEFA Champions League when he found the net for Celtic against Barcelona. He later joined Southampton before moving to Tottenham, where he was part of the squad that reached the 2019 Champions League final.
The midfielder also earned 64 international caps for Kenya and served as captain of the national team. He led the country at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Kenya’s first appearance at the tournament in 15 years.
Since ending his playing career, Wanyama has turned more of his attention towards coaching qualifications and youth development. The agreement with 22Bet should provide additional funding and visibility for the academy as it moves closer to completion.
22Bet Kenya Country Manager Joash Ajuoga said the company wants to reach young players at the grassroots level and believes Wanyama is the right partner for that work.
“If you walk first, you walk alone, but if you want to walk far, you walk with others. We want to reach the grassroots, and we feel partnering with Wanyama will help us do that and help us nurture many talents in Kenya,” Ajuoga said.
He added that the company hopes the region could eventually produce a Ballon d’Or nominee or even a winner. That is a distant target, but the academy has a more immediate job: giving talented Kenyan players better coaching, stronger preparation and a more direct route into professional football.
Michael Turner is a sports presenter at CasinosInCanada who covers major sporting events and sports-related insights for readers.
