Brazilian national Leonardo Martins Neiva (right) shakes hands with Gor Mahia chairman after being named the club's new head coach in Nairobi on July 1, 2024.
Internal fights, squabbles with players, complaints by fans, compounded by poor performance led to the sacking of Leonardo Neiva as coach of Gor Mahia on Wednesday.
The Brazilian had just served four months at Gor Mahia, the record Kenyan champions, and becomes the second coach this season to exit a Premiership club after Sammy Omollo with Shabana two weeks ago.
Neiva, 46 was fired on Wednesday by the club ostensibly for a string of poor results in the league that had so incensed the passionate Green Army following.
The defending champions sit at an unfamiliar 12th position on the log with a paltry eight points, nine behind leaders KCB.
Neiva conducting training on Tuesday and had no idea he would be sacked the following day. The Brazilian was appointed Gor Mahia coach on July 1 replacing Johnathan McKinstry, whose contract had expired.
Gor have now elevated assistant coach Zedekiah “Zico” Otieno to the head coach position on an interim basis.
Otieno will be assisted by Ugandan Michael Nam.
“The club begins the search for a new head coach who embodies the values and the aspirations of the club. He will bring renewed energy and strategic insights to the team,” said Gor Mahia CEO Ray Oruo in a statement.
Neiva leaves K’Ogalo just days before the Mashemeji derby against AFC Leopards set for November 24 when the league resumes after the Fifa international break.
The Brazilian coach had overseen 13 matches, winning three matches, drawing three and losing seven.
It has now emerged that the coach was not getting along well with several senior players who felt he had put them at the same level as junior players in the way he treated them.
When Neiva was assaulted by enraged Gor Mahia fans following a 2-1 loss to Nairobi City Stars on October 28 at Kenyatta Stadium, Ghanaian midfielder Enock Morrison engaged with the fans on the stands accusing the coach of benching good players.
Prior to the game, Neiva had benched a section of players who had featured in an unsanctioned tournament including Morrison.
Defender Rooney Onyango, who had a tiff with Neiva, was suspended for three matches by the club for indiscipline.
Neiva was again attacked by a rowdy section of Gor fans after a 2-2 draw against Murang’a Seal on November 2 at the same venue. All was not well on the technical bench as well.
Neiva wondered aloud why he was the one who bore the brunt of the violence perpetrated by the yobs as his assistant Otieno and other members of the technical bench were barely touched.
“The coach felt a section of the technical bench sabotaged him and were working to ensure he is out. Now he has been fired, we want to see if they will win,” said an official of Gor, who wished not to be named as he is not authorised to speak to the press.
“The playing unit is also to be blamed for the poor results because the senior players who opposed the coach did so because they feared competition and never wanted junior players to get a chance,” the official said.
Neiva is a CAF A and Uefa Fifa Pro licence holder. He has previously coached Uganda’s Vipers SC, Sudanese Giants El Merreikh and Young Africans of Tanzania.
