Goal.com has launched in Kenya nearly a month after going live in Ghana, and in Nigeria in March. The world’s top football news portal says the Kenyan launch comes at a time when it is spreading its wings worldwide.
In a statement, the Web portal pledges to devote a well-deserved edition to Kenya “after years of success covering world football” adding it will dedicate relentless effort, time and energy in covering Kenya’s local football without compromising on international coverages.
Goal.com says it will make available unrivalled local and international football news and views on the Web, mobile or through its various apps.
The site is however expected to face stiff competition from Kenya’s leading football news portal Futaa.com, which swanks an average of 1.7 million monthly pageviews.
Futaa.com’s board chairman Pierre Vendelboe says Goal.com is “welcome.”
Vendelboe told HumanIPO there is room for more players in the Kenyan football scene and that Futaa.com will always do what it has been doing, giving football lovers in Kenya total football coverage, commentaries and statistics.
“We, at Futaa.com, welcome any new competitors. Competition will help us step up our game, just as football players become better playing with and against better players. This will only make the coverage of Kenyan football even better, which will also help stimulate the love for the local league among football fans,
“I welcome the competition. We will of cause strive to continue being number one, but being number one is only fun, if you are not alone. There is room for more than one site about football in Kenya, so in the end, the local fans are the winners,” Vendelboe said.
Futaa.com’s chief editor Patrick Korir echoed Vendelboe’s statement saying, “this is good for Futaa.com as the site is passionate about football and will continue doing what it loves.”
Launched in Kenya in July 2011, Futaa.com is backed by Danish/Kenyan venture fund 88mph, the team behind the largest football website in Denmark Bold.dk. Like Goal.com, it is currently pursuing a Pan-African expansion and was last month launched in Nigeria.
It last year won the 2011 Footballer of the Year Awards (FOYA), under the Chairman’s Award category to which the Kenya Premier League Chairman Juma Mwanyikai attributed to its exemplary work towards raising the country’s football standards.
Goal.com is managed by PERFORM sports and is currently the world’s largest football site.
