Gor face KCB in high-stakes league clash in Machakos

With a record 22nd Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKF-PL) title at stake, Gor Mahia fans will be hoping that the recent tension within the team’s technical bench will not derail them.

This comes after a truce was struck at the team’s technical bench yesterday, with the club’s chairman Ambrose Rachier declaring the matter water under the bridge.

In a match that promises fireworks, defending champions Gor will today visit KCB Football Club at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos County.

Gor are ranked third in the standings with 43 points from 24 matches, three points more than fourth-placed KCB, who have played one extra game. Kenya Police tops with 48 points from 25 matches while Tusker follows with 47 points from the same number of matches.

From interviews with multiple Gor’s players and the team’s head coach Sinisa Mihic, Nation Sport established that following an altercation in the technical bench, the Croatian tactician sent his assistant Michael Nam and team manager Victor Nyaoro away during their training at Stima Club in Nairobi on Friday.

He accused them of backstabbing and blackmail.

Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno who is Gor’s other assistant coach was absent from the training. "There is no way I’m going to work with them because I can’t be blackmailed," charged Mihic in a phone interview with this publication on Friday. However, before the commencement of yesterday’s training at the same venue, Mihic and the technical bench members met and resolved their differences.

While the 47-year-old Uefa Pro License coach said that he had forgiven the officials, he declared that henceforth he will be firm and fully in charge of all aspects pertaining to the playing unit.

Mihic said he doesn’t regret blowing out the issue, as speaking the truth has enabled each of the three technical bench members to understand their position at the club and focus on their duties without fringing on his.

"We met as a play unit on Saturday (yesterday) morning and they apologised, so as a human being and out of love, I have accepted them back into the team. I felt pain and came out publicly and they have also felt the pain of their action when I spoke to the media and were remorseful," said Mihic in a phone interview with Nation Sport yesterday. He rallied his team to beat KCB as a show of unity, in a bid to move past the incident which he acknowledged had angered fans towards his colleagues in the technical bench.

"We now have one coach who issues instruction and is in charge as others also give their input. The 10 matches remaining are like finals to us so we have to win them and that has to start with KCB on Sunday (Today)," said Mihic who joined Gor on a six-month contract on February 3.

"Our fans need to be happy and that can only happen if we win and seal the divisions we have had," he added.

Acknowledging that fallouts are common in every workplace, Rachier said the club will not be pursuing the matter further.

"Today (yesterday), the head coach apologised to the entire team for his outburst and they amicably resolved the matter, so there is no crisis at Gor. It is common for people in the workplace to disagree and resolve their differences. As an office, we do not see the need to escalate the matter," said Rachier.

Regarding claims that the officials are notorious for influencing the coach’s decision on player selection, Rachier said he has yet to receive such a complaint. "I have no such report from the head coach. This issue is about how people express themselves and implement their ideas. The assistants can give opinions like who should be in the starting line-up but the head coach takes the responsibility, he can reject their proposals," said the chairman.

The last four FKF-PL meetings between Gor and KCB have all ended in stalemate. KCB’s last league victory over Gor was a 1-0 triumph on January 4, 2023. In their last league win over the bankers on April 23, 2022, Gor triumphed by a similar margin Gor heads into the match on the back of a barren draw against their bitter-rivals AFC Leopards in the Mashemeji Derby.

Mihic has rued lack of a prolific striker in the team. Similarly, KCB drew 2-2 to Kakamega Homeboyz in the last match.