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Sportshour: “You may end up being killed” – Kenyan footballer on defying drug gangs

Discussion & Talk

“You may end up being killed” – Kenyan footballer on defying drug gangs

17/10/2020 GMT

BBC World Service - Sportshour, “You may end up being killed” – Kenyan footballer on defying drug gangs

Jacob Viera was almost killed by a Tanzanian gang after he refused to be a drugs mule.

Former Kenyan Premier League player Jacob Viera tells us how a Tanzanian gang almost killed him after he refused to be a drugs mule. He was electrocuted in the attack and his doctor felt he would need a miracle to survive. A subsequent trial at Newcastle United led to him seeking asylum in England. While waiting to gain UK residency he suffered a serious injury that ended his hopes of becoming a professional footballer. He’s now living in Liverpool and doing his refereeing qualifications. He aims to become a Fifa elite referee and says it would be a dream to take charge of a Merseyside Derby.

Legendary South Africa all-rounder Lance Klusener joins us in the week he completed a 200km endurance race on the dry salt pans of the Verneukpan in the Northern Cape. He was part of “Team Cricket” in the Battle of the Sports event to raise funds for covid relief in South Africa. He tells us how they battled the terrain, mental fatigue and sleep deprivation. Klusener also explains why he needed to do something to help people affected by the pandemic.

Leonessa Brescia won the Italian Baseball for the Blind Championship last week. Their assistant coach Michele Bianchi tells us why it was the biggest achievement in the club’s history. We also hear from one of the founders of blind baseball, Lorenzo de Regny, who tells us how the sport came about and what it means to see blind athletes competing in such a liberating sport. And Mariela Gonzales from the World Baseball Softball Confederation tells us their aspirations for blind baseball to one day feature at the Paralympic Games.

Kyra Condie is one of the first American women to qualify for climbing at an Olympic Games but her career nearly ended before it began. Shortly before she turned fourteen years old she had to have major surgery on her back as a result of Scoliosis. She tells us the first hospital she visited told her to forget about climbing and that she still keeps in touch with the surgeon who fixed her back, which she describes as having been like an “s” shape previously. She also explains her unique climbing style and how she burst into tears when she qualified for the Tokyo games.

Sports broadcaster Rikki Swannell joins us live from New Zealand as the All Blacks prepare to face Australia in front of a crowd of forty seven thousand people at Eden Park on Sunday. The country, with a population of 4.8 million people has been so successful in combating Covid-19 that it had only one new case in the 24 hours leading up to 13 October.  Swannell also brings us the latest news ahead of the Super Netball Grand Final in Australia.

In Sporting Witness, we tell the story of the American Garrett McNamara, who pioneered surfing the colossal waves at Nazaré in Portugal and broke the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed.

And – the BBC’s football correspondent – John Murray – joins us live from Goodison Park ahead of Premier League leaders Everton facing the reigning champions Liverpool.

Photo: Jacob Viera refereeing the Merseyside County Cup Final at Goodison Park in 2019

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“You may end up being killed” – Kenyan footballer on defying drug gangs

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