Michael Olunga: Harambee Stars Captain Set to Buy Swedish Football Club

Harambee Stars striker Michael Olunga is reported to be buying a club in Sweden.

This will mark an important expansion of Olunga’s career in the business side of football.

The Harambee Stars captain is finalizing a deal to buy AFC Eskilstuna, a third-tier Swedish team struggling with financial problems.

The Swedish club has Henry Meja and Frank Odhiambo playing for them.

The key investment advantage according to the Swedish publication Eskilstuna-Kuriren is that the purchase will help develop Olunga’s academy players.

The Michael Olunga Football Academy (MOFA) will clear the club’s debts when the buy-off is completed.

“Olunga’s involvement with AFC Eskilstuna is seen as an essential step for the development of his academy’s players, providing them with opportunities to gain international exposure,” the report said.

AFC Eskilstuna recently lost entry to municipal facilities due to a debt exceeding SEK 500,000 ( KSh 6.4 million).

AFC Eskilstuna has undergone several rebranding throughout the years.

It was originally known as FC Café Opera and later Väsby United.

The club relocated to Eskilstuna in 2012, rebranding as AFC United, and finally settling on the name AFC Eskilstuna in 2016.

Olunga plays for Al Duhail in Qatar, before rising to the heights of playing in foreign leagues.

He cut his teeth in the dusty Baba Dogo grounds and played for Upper Hill and Liberty Academy in his teen years.

Among renowned coaches who laid Olunga’s ladder are Mwalimu Peter Orero, Robert Matano and Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee.

During his sunset days at Upper Hill, Olunga received an offer to join AS Monaco’s football academy but turned down the deal due to academic commitment besides discouragement from his mother.

“When I was in high school, just two weeks to KCSE, I had to go to Monaco U18 and everything was ready. So I had to choose between KCSE and going to Monaco but of course, I couldn’t let 4 years of education just go like that. I knew I was going to do well in the examinations,” Olunga is quoted.