Gor Mahia’s coach, Ghanaian Charles Akonnor, has sought to calm the nerves of the team’s supporters, asking them not to panic in the wake of a second straight loss in a final.
On August 7, 2026, Gor Mahia lost 2-1 to Rwandan club Rayon Sports FC in the final of the 2026 Cecafa Kagame Cup at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda, followed by a 3-1 loss to Tusker FC in the Football Kenya Federation Super Cup at Nyayo National Stadium on August 24, 2026.
The latest defeat elicited an angry reaction from Gor fans, who have questioned coach Akonnor’s team selection, given that some key players did not start the match.
Gor Mahia Ebenezer Adukwaw vies for an aerial ball against Tusker defender Jon Otieno during the FKF Super Cup match on August 23, 2026 played at Nyayo National Stadium.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo| Nation Media Group
After the match, Akonnor said he is not experimenting with his squad, insisting that the players who started in their 3-1 defeat to Tusker on Sunday have shown enough quality and capability to earn their places in the team.
Instead, the Ghanaian tactician has attributed the defeat to simple mistakes in the team’s defence, noting that Gor must find a solution to the problem immediately, especially because it is becoming a trend.
“Today (on Sunday), those who started are players whom we can close our eyes and say that they should play. It is not about testing; we have gone past that,” Akonnor said when asked whether he was still trying to find his preferred starting squad.
“We did not do well in certain areas of the game, especially when we were defending and it has affected us,” the former captain of Ghana’s national football team added.
Gor’s biggest test yet will be on September 6 when they host Egyptian giants Pyramids FC at Nyayo National Stadium in the first leg of the first preliminary round of the CAF Champions League.
In Sunday’s match at Nyayo National Stadium, defenders Francis Oduor and Eugene Ikutwa and forward Ian Simiyu scored a goal apiece to hand Tusker their first silverware of the season. Gor’s consolation goal was an own goal by Ikutwa. After the match, some of Gor’s fans laid the blame on Akonnor, questioning his team selection, especially after some key players started from the bench.
New goalkeeper Humphrey Katasi has come under sharp criticism from a section of the club’s supporters who feel that he conceded cheap goals.
In the opening goal, which was scored by Oduor, Katasi had a hand to the low shot but failed to keep it out. The second goal scored by Ikutwa was a screamer, while the third netted by Simiyu was a close-range header. The fans argue that first-choice goalkeeper Byrne Omondi should have started Sunday’s match.
They have also pointed fingers at the defence, which they feel let the team down. Daniel Sakari, Bryton Onyona, Frank Odhiambo and assistant captain Mike Kibwage are the defenders who started the match.
Akonnor stated that the problem with his side is not how they play, but a lack of awareness at critical moments of the match.
Gor Mahia Football Club Head coach Charles Akonnor from Ghana during an interview on November 5, 2025, at Artcaffe, Yaya Centre.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo| Nation Media Group
“We committed silly mistakes and conceded goals. It is becoming a little bit of a problem and we have to solve it quickly before anything happens,” noted Akonnor.
Gor fans are particularly concerned with the team’s performance on Sunday since they have drawn against Egypt’s Pyramids FC in the first preliminary round of the CAF Champions League. Pyramids are a tough side who lifted the prestigious continental title in the 2024/25 season.
After making several key signings and progressing all the way to the final of the 2026 Cecafa Kagame Cup in Kigali, where they lost 2-1 to Rayon Sports, many of Gor’s supporters expected the team to have built enough momentum to hit the ground running in the new season. However, that optimism took a hit on Sunday following the loss to brewers.
Besides Katasi and Sakari, Gor’s other new signings are goalkeeper Michael Onyango, defender Portipher Odhiambo, midfielders Lesley Otieno, Ghanaian Ebenezer Ocran and Enock Machaka and forwards David Okoth, Paul Okoth, Ugandan Denis Omedi and Hansel Ochieng.
