Gor Mahia’s 2-1 loss in Football Kenya Federation Cup (Mozzart Bet Cup) final at Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi to second-tier league side Nairobi United compounded a season to forget for the 21-time Kenyan league champions.
For the first time since 2016, Gor will not play continental football, thanks to a rift in the team’s technical bench that was left to fester for too long leading to sabotage, complacency in the playing unit, and lack of ambition at the club.
Since 2013, Gor Mahia have consistently competed in Africa’s premier club competition, the Caf Champions League, missing out only in 2016 and in 2021 when Tusker won the league title.
Gor missed out on continental football entirely in 2016 when Tusker won both the league title and the domestic Cup, and second-placed Ulinzi Stars competed in the second-tier Caf Confederation Cup.
This season, Gor failed to win the domestic Cup, and also lost the league title to Kenya Police FC, forfeiting any chance of playing continental football. But Gor have themselves to blame for the poor performance in the ending season, and the problem started in November.
When incessant squabbling between the club’s Brazillian coach Leonardo Neiva on one hand, and his assistants Zedekiah Otieno and Michael Nam, and team manager Victor Nyaoro on the other led to Neiva’s dismissal on November 13 at a time the club was registering a spate of poor results.
Brazilian coach Leonardo Neiva (right) with his assistant Zedekiah Otieno on the touchline during a match between Gor Mahia and Al Mereikh of South Sudan at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi on August 25, 2024.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
Before his departure, Neiva was thrice assaulted by a section of Gor’s fans in incidents believed to have been instigated by members of his technical bench. Members of Neiva’s technical bench used a senior player to undermine him, causing rift in the team.
Croatian Sinisa Mihic took over on February 3, but the squabbles persisted amid claims of sabotage within the technical bench. On April 4, Mihic sacked his assistants and Nam as well as team manager Nyaoro, claiming they had been sabotaging him while at the same time borrowing money from him.
Former Gor Mahia coach Sinisa Mihic gestures on the touchline during a match against Mathare United at Dandora Stadium on February 8, 2025.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
The club acknowledged the incident as a training ground burst-up between Mihic and his assistants, and met the parties with the view of striking a truce. That was not to be. Mihic resigned on May 19 after meeting the club’s leadership, and Otieno took over as coach. Nam and Nyaoro also retained their positions.
In the league, the team dropped points against opponents ranked lower than them, denting their hopes of retaining the league title.
But the biggest blow to Gor’s title ambitions came on May 14 when the team lost 2-1 to Kakamega Homeboyz at a time Kenya Police were leading the league standings on 58 points after 31 rounds of matches. Gor Mahia went into the match with two games in hand, and were on 53 points.
Gor Mahia players appeal for a penalty to centre Referee Isaac Hamisi during their match against Nairobi City Stars in the FKF Premier League on May 15, 2025 at Dandora Stadium, Nairobi.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
However, the following day (May 15), Gor lost to the now relegated Nairobi City Stars 2-1 at Dandora Stadium, losing more ground in the title race. In the game, Nairobi City Stars scored two goals in the first half, but K’Ogalo failed to recover. City Stars completed a double over Gor, bagging six points, the team having also won the first leg by a similar scoreline on October 28 last year
One of the biggest heartbreaks for the Green Army came in the round of 27 match on April 19 against Sofapaka. Gor were leading 1-0 courtesy of Benson Omalla’s goal at Dandora Stadium, but a goalkeeping error saw them concede a goal in the second minute of time added on after 90 minutes, and settled for a draw.
Gor’s coach at the time, Mihic, was at the stands serving a suspension, but he walked out of the stadium in protest that his technical bench was not heading his instructions.
The draw came just a day after Kenya Police had dropped points in a 1-0 loss to Ulinzi Stars at the Ulinzi Sports Complex. At the time, Police had 49 points and Gor were on 47 points and a win would have seen K'Ogalo leapfrog the law enforcers to the top with two games in hand.
Gor Mahia captain Austin Odhiambo (left) vies for the ball with Bernard Ouma of Nairobi United during the finals of Mozzart Bet Cup at Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi on June 29, 2025.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
On April 24, the now relegated Talanta FC beat Gor 1-0 with a goal from Emmanuel Osoro, sending Gor back to the drawing board. Bidco United who narrowly survived relegation on the last day also picked four points from Gor this season.
Bidco beat Gor 1-0 in the first leg at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos on December 8 last year, and forced a barren draw with Gor in the second leg.
Kenya Police won the league title after beating Shabana 1-0 at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos two weeks ago, having garnered 64 points in 33 matches. Gor accumulated 58 points ahead of Homeboyz (57) and Tusker (56).
Gor’s pathetic performance this season was again evident in their 1-0 loss to Nairobi United on Sunday as the club’s fans bayed for Otieno’s blood, forcing him and players to seek refuge in the dressing room. The fans want Otieno, Nam and Nyaoro out.
