Gor Mahia coach Sinisa Mihic conducts a training session on February 5, 2025 at MPesa Academy grounds in Kiambu County.
The appointment of Croatian Sinisa Mihic as Gor Mahia’s new head coach on Monday brings the tally of foreign tacticians that have handled the club to 15 since 2012.
Their arch-rivals, AFC Leopards, have hired 13 foreign coaches over the same period, raising questions about the club’s commitment to giving local coaches an opportunity to handle, easily Kenya’s biggest football clubs.
Mihic, 48, was handed a six-month contract with the option of extending the terms.
The Croatian coach replaced K’Ogalo’s former player Zedekiah “Zico” Otieno, who had served as interim coach since November 13 following the sacking of Brazilian Leonardo Neiva due to poor performance.
Mihic urged for patience even as he said he was not perturbed by the weight of expectations on his shoulders.
“I know sometimes they (Gor’s fans) are angry if the results are not what they expect but it is just a game,” said Mihic in his first media interview on Monday.
“I want them to be strong with us, pressure us because players who cannot accept the pressure and expectations of the fans cannot be at Gor Mahia. It is the same case with the coach, so welcome. I am sure that after a short time, they will love us and they will love me,” he added.
As the Uefa Pro License holder prepares for his first match with the 21-time Kenyan champions against 2008 winners Mathare United on Saturday at Dandora Stadium in Nairobi, the biggest question is how long he will last in a hot environment of impatient K’Ogalo fans who want nothing bu success.
New Gor Mahia coach Sinisa Mihic holds the club's jersey during his unveiling on February 3, 2025 in Nairobi.
In addition to Brazilian Neiva (July 2024 to November 2024), other foreign coaches who have handled Gor since 2010 are Irish Johnathan McKinstry (July 2022 to June 2024), German Andres Spier (February 2022 to July 2022), Briton Mark Harrison (August 2021 to January 2022), Portuguese Carlos Vaz Pinto (January 2021 to July 2021), Brazilian Robertinho Oliveira (October 2020 to September 2021) and Briton Steve Polack (July 2019 to October 2020).
The rest are Turkish-Cypriot Hassan Oktay (December 2018 to August 2019), Briton Dylan Kerr (July 2017 to November 2018), Brazilian José Marcelo Ferreira “Ze Maria” (March 2016 to June 2017), Scottish Frank Nuttall (September 2014 to February 2016), Scottish Bob Williamson (July 2013 to August 2014), Croatian Zdravko Logarusic (2012 to June 2013) and Cameroonian Anaba Awono (2012).
Speaking to Nation Sport, Gor chairman Ambrose Rachier refuted claims that the club is obsessed with foreign coaches, stating that their focus when hiring is on qualification and performance.
“We are obsessed with quality coaches who can deliver good results irrespective of whether they are local or foreign.
Even the foreign coaches when they do not deliver we let them go. Our objective is quality and performance,” said Rachier in a phone interview.
The veteran administrator further stated that local coaches have consistently shied away from expressing interest in the job whenever they advertise the vanancy.
“Even African coaches don’t apply. You saw we gave our assistants (Otieno and Michael Nam) the opportunity to lead the team for some time. While they proved to be good tactically, they had issues with leadership,” he said.
Otieno did not respond to queries from Nation Sport on whether he applied to be Gor’s head coach. But a club at the club who spoke on condition of anonymity since he is not authorised to talk to the media said the former Kenya international did not apply for the job.
Gor’s Chief Executive Officer Raymond Oruo revealed that 40 coaches had applied to replace Neiva.
Mihic’s last work station was at four-time Kuwait Premier League champions Al-Salmiya Sporting Club where he served as an assistant coach for a mere 16 days – from February 12 to February 28, 2022. “We did what is best for the club by appointing an experienced and qualified coach,” he said.
Williamson ended K’Ogalo’s 18-year KPL title drought by securing the 2013 trophy while Nuttal guided them to the 2015 championships unbeaten after winning the 2014 title.
Kerr led K’Ogalo to back-to-back league triumphs in 2017 and 2018 before Oktay steered the club to victory in 2019.
Polack then oversaw a successful title defence in 2020, before McKinstry led the club to back-to-back triumphs in 2023 and 2024.
In contrast, Leopards have not won a single title during this period, their last triumph coming way back in 1998.
Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda said they settled on Czech coach Tomas Trucha as Tom Juma’s replacement since they wanted to match the “technical acumen” of their arch-rival Gor Mahia.
“When we had to part ways with Tom Juma, I told my guys we will not go for a local coach simply because my rivals cannot be Uefa and we lower our standards,” Shikanda told NTV’s Monday night sports show – SportOn! on October 30, 2023.
“We had not beaten Gor for seven years and the difference between us and them was not players but the technical acumen that they had over us. Them having Uefa Pro License coaches while we struggle with CAF A or B coaches, I mean that gap was telling,” he added.
However, Trucha who was serving his second stint at Leopards after a brief tenure in 2020, was fired in November last year due to poor performances.
Under interim coach Fred Ambani, Leopards have noticeably improved and are currently placed fourth on the log with 29 points from 18 matches.
Apart from Trucha, the other foreign coaches who have handled Ingwe since 2010 Dutchmen Jan Koops and Hendrik Pieter De Jongh, Belgians Luc Eymael, Patrick Aussems and Ivan Minnaert, Logarusic, Briton John Stewart, Romanian Dorian Marin, Argentinian Rodolfo Zapata, Serbians Nikola Kavazovic and Marko Vasiljevic and Rwandan Andres Casa Mbungo.
During that period James Nandwa, Robert Matano (2017), Anthony Kimani, and Juma are the only local coaches who have handled Ingwe.
Matano left the club in 2018 due to disciplinary issues while Nandwa and Juma were fired due to poor results.
Coach instructor and Kenya Football Coaches Association secretary Bob Oyugi argues that while Gor and Leopards would like to have local coaches, they are forced to go for foreigners due to pressure from fans.
He said the clubs can succeed in having local coaches if they educate their fans on the importance of being civilized.
“The two clubs are under so much pressure. The fans want to see a mzungu coach because they have been brainwashed to believe that they are better than local coaches,” said the ex-Gor coach.
