The truth is that we
are struggling. We are really struggling. We have good players but we are
losing them because they are receiving better deals that we just cannot match’
these are the words of Gor Mahia Treasurer, Kennedy Ouma (Daily Nation,
Wednesday December 10, 2014). Three things emerge here; one, the reigning Kenya
Premier League Champions is in a financial crunch. Two, the club is fast losing
its stalwarts to other clubs, in search of greener pastures, either locally or
abroad. Lastly, the club is unable to lure top notch footballers due to its
current financial crunch.
Mercurial talisman
and goal poacher, the pint-sized Ugandan, Dan Sserunkuma has already joined
Tanzanian giants, Simba SC, dependable defensive rock, David ‘Calabar’ Owino is
in the same club for trails, and from all signs, he might be their player
before January. Dependable
midfield-chief, Ugandan, Geoffrey ‘Baba’ Kizito has already turned down
contract talks due to salary demands, and is headed out, possibly to Vietnam. Influential winger and one time Kenyan
international, Patrick Oboya is also in Vietnam for trials and a deal is almost
sure. A closer look at the above players indeed shows that they were in the
driving seat as K’Ogallo defended the KPL crown. Losing the league’s top scorer
and their most dependable scorer in the last three seasons, defender of the
year and one of the finest defenders presently in the country, and then the
second best footballer of the year and their best midfielder of the season, is
no child’s play. Filling these boots is an uphill task for Gor Mahia and the
financial crisis only worsens the problem.
Back in December,
last year when shirt sponsors, Tuzo declined their multi-million sponsorship of
the team, there was an assumption that getting new sponsors would be no
problem. However, one year later, the club got no sponsors and financial crisis
have persisted for a while. ‘50100’, is the number that has been embezzled on
the clubs official kit, through which well-wishers can financial support it.
For a club whose monthly expenditure is as up as, Ksh3m, this cannot meet the
huge demand and only sponsors can sufficiently do it.
The Confederation of
African Football (CAF), premier club competition CAF Champions League, is
barely two months away. The deadline for signing new players is mid-January.
The two are enough to scare lovers of this prestigious Kenyan club. Competing
against Africa’s best, the likes of Egypt’s Al Ahly, TP Mazembe of Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC), et South African big boys, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi
Sundowns among other elite clubs across the country, melts down to money. Gor
Mahia must attract the finest talent locally and across the region in order to
match these clubs. The needs top-notch preparations in terms of conditions,
allowances and salaries to players, meaningful friendly matches and generally a
favorable financial environment in order to perform and not merely make up the
numbers in Africa’s most prestigious club competitions.
Sponsors should come
in and inject the financial stability in the club as it gets ready for the
tough and perilous tourney in the CAF Champions League. According to sources
within the club, they have already identified 10 players to join them, but due
to the financial part, the process is stuck. Gor Mahia has been unable to hold
onto its best players. Sserunkuma, David Owino, Baba Kizito et Patrick Oboya
are on the exit path, and sadly, the club has been unable to lure equally
impressive talent to replace them. Continental tourney is almost here, yet the
club is barely moving towards that due to the financial crunch. Someone come
and help, Mighty K’Ogallo, otherwise, it might be drubbed as was the case when
they miserably went out to Rwanda’s APR, in the First Round of the 2009 CAF
Confederations Cup. They were gored 6-0 on aggregate. Last year, in the CAF
Champions League, they went out in the preliminaries to mighty Esperance de Tunis of
Tunisia! Money is key to Gor Mahia favorably matching Africa’s finest in next
year’s CAF Champions League!
Will sponsors come to
mighty Mayienga’s aid and pump in this priceless necessity? If this does not
happen, Mighty K’Ogallo is doomed!
Reach the writer at jeanmutua@yahoo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment