Riddle of unpaid Gor players despite having a new sponsor

Gor Mahia

Gor Mahia players pose for a photo ahead of their friendly match against Coast Combines at the newly refurbished Ronald Ngala grounds in Mombasa on July 31, 2022. Gor Mahia won 1:0.
 

Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • It is my hope that one day they will return to sponsoring the top league, and Gor Mahia. But that is just that, hope.

I read somewhere early this week that in one Gor Mahia training, only nine players turned up.

Asked to explain the reason why, our always very able team manager Jolawi Obondo  said there was no cause for alarm, it was the coach’s plan to have a small group of players.

Quite interesting. I am one person who takes everything from our TM with some pinch of salt. Why should we have only nine players out of a registered 30 turning up?

Anyway, it turns out there is a serious go-slow at the club over unpaid salaries.

A few players who I have been in touch with say that they are owed salaries, how much they are owed I may not be privy to.

It is nothing new at Gor Mahia though, players going on go-slow over unpaid salaries and allowances have become a common feature at the club.

But why should we allow this to continue happening.

Gor Mahia has a sponsor in BetAfriq, I am not sure if I have come across this betting company anywhere within our borders. But with all due respect, if we do have a sponsor, why should our players go without salaries?

The question is to the club management, where is the sponsorship money, if at all it comes.

I look back with nostalgia when SportPesa used to sponsor Gor Mahia. In those days, the players were well taken care of.

SportPesa set the bar so high, that no other sponsor of the club has met.
In came Betsafe after SportPesa and our woes began and BetAfriq seems to be no better.

I am not a decision maker at Gor Mahia but if I was, I would approach  SportPesa to return to the club. SportPesa was a sure bet for us.

SportPesa is now back in the Kenyan market after they won back their operating licence which is good for local sports. They are currently sponsoring Murang’a Seal which is a clear show of their intent to support football especially at the grassroot level.

It is my hope that one day they will return to sponsoring the top league, and Gor Mahia. But that is just that, hope.

I have written this because I feel the pain of our players going without pay yet the club is sponsored to a tune of millions. Sad.