Many people are known to throw their arms in the air and give up in the face of adversity, especially if the obstacles come in succession, year after year. But one incident happened yesterday to prove that it is never too late to hope.

One of the country’s oldest and most popular football teams, Rayon Sports, has not seen any national title silverware for nearly a decade, but yesterday, it broke the jinx when it clinched the national football championship with a game to spare.

For a team that has some of the most passionate fans, yesterday’s effervescence could be understood. All these past years, the military side, APR FC, has comfortably occupied the top position with no real threat on the horizon.

Perhaps one of the major lessons from Rayon’s comeback is the importance of leadership. Ever since the team relocated to Nyanza last year where it receives support from the district, the squabbles and AWOL cases that dogged the team in the past ceased to manifest, or at least reduced significantly.

The district ensured unity and a sense of common purpose in the dressing room, players and staff received salaries on time and this quickly paid off with results on the field.

The national football federation, Ferwafa, should take the cue from Rayon’s triumph; that this is a football mad country which needs to see more silverware from the international scene, and that nothing is impossible with proper planning and organisation.

This will need more than just token assurances but more creativity to realise the dream. In the meantime, maybe there is some glimmer of hope for some of the other major teams such as Kiyovu and Mukura, all they need is a dose from the cup Rayon drank from.