Let’s pull together and keep on building our beloved club, Gor
From left: Gor Mahia's Frank Odhiambo, Samuel Onyango and Alpha Onyango celebrate their win against Bidco United during their Betway Cup semi-final match at Utalii grounds on June 13, 2021.
What you need to know:
- True to your topic on match-fixing, it is real and is happening in our country. My concern is this: don’t you think the topics and previews by sports journalist and you are detrimental to our football here in Kenya?
- You people are doing a good job but you are portraying our country in a bad light to the world."
- Keep the reactions coming, folks!
As I am writing this, Gor Mahia is on the verge of reaching the final of the FKF Betway Cup.
Gor Mahia were playing Bidco FC with the likely chance of facing our archrivals AFC Leopards in the final.
I have no doubt that if it goes down to the wire in the final between the two, there is on team that will be left shedding tears.
As they say in Kenya, it will be premium tears. And I know for a fact that the team crying will not be Gor Mahia. They know themselves.
Meanwhile, in the spirit of readers’ reactions, today I am giving my readers the chance to react to some of the articles I have written in this column in the recent past. I always do this once in a while because this column is not all about me, but you, the reader.
Firing us off is none other than the chairman of Gor Mahia, Ambrose Rachier. The good lawyer says:
Dear Thomas Joseph,
“I cannot and must not fail to laud you and to appreciate your article in the "Daily Nation" of last Monday May 3, 2021 on the subject of the much-needed transformation of our beloved club, Gor Mahia Football Club.
You canvassed ideas and suggestions that are clearly well-researched and which, if implemented, should enable our club make huge strides toward economic sustainability.
This will in turn give the club more financial muscle which should catalyse the achievement of its core objectives. I shall without doubt table your blue-print before the Club Executive.
If need be, I shall revert to you for further input.”
All I can say is thank you chairman and yes, I am ready to stand up and be counted when you call on me for ideas on improving our beloved club.
But Moses Libamba has a different idea. He opines: “I have read your K'Ogalo Corner article today with a keen interest. Actually, what you have suggested is the way to go.
The only disappointing part is you praising Rachier. This is one person who has really stagnated Gor. He is never ready to accept advice from concerned members.
During the last election, he imposed a candidate on people. He went calling all those vocal members who have no idea how Gor should be run to help his candidate.
I honestly would like to see drastic changes in how Gor is run. Activate branches to help members buy shares, say 51 percent and an investor to pump in funds equivalent to 49 percent of the shares.
Right now there is a group of fans calling themselves Augmentin which collects funds from willing members and pays winning bonuses to the players and yet Rachier's administration has not fully embraced the group.
I and some members sacrificed a lot of our time and resources to help the management run the youth team. What happened, Rachier has never taken his time to acknowledge the work of the committee.
He signed a TOR with the committee but after the election, the committee was shunted aside without recourse to the said TOR. This is somebody who is really difficult to assist.”
Some time back I wrote on the vice of match-fixing, and one Biko Obwira from Kisumu disagreed. He said: “How are you? I am Omondi from Kisumu County and a gambler for quite some time.
True to your topic on match-fixing, it is real and is happening in our country. My concern is this: don’t you think the topics and previews by sports journalist and you are detrimental to our football here in Kenya?
You people are doing a good job but you are portraying our country in a bad light to the world."
Keep the reactions coming, folks!
