‘Rogue officials rocking Gor’s boat from within’
What you need to know:
- Ngala said the players have conveniently forgotten that each of them received Sh100,000 last month as bonus for reaching the quarter-finals of Caf Confederation Cup.
Gor Mahia’s hierarchy has vowed to crack the whip on the playing unit following a boycott that led to 2-0 loss to Morocco’s RS Berkane in first leg match of Caf Confederation Cup quarter-final match on Sunday in Nairobi.
And a disbandment of the playing unit is one of the options officials are contemplating. The club’s leadership on Tuesday said that while players are right to demand money owed to them, the playing unit was being incited by a club official to arm-twist the office into acting upon ‘unreasonable demands.’
Deputy Secretary General Ronald Ngala told Nation Sport that some club officials have made shadowy deals with players with the aim of taking home part of the winning allowances and bonuses paid to the players.
Ngala said the players have conveniently forgotten that each of them received Sh100,000 last month as bonus for reaching the quarter-finals of Caf Confederation Cup.
The long serving Gor official reiterated Monday’s threat by club chairman Ambrose Rachier that players have taken the issue of boycott ‘a little too far’’, adding that ‘a drastic action’ is now inevitable.
"Do you know there is a time when the club operated without a sponsor for two years? Yet the players never complained as much as they are doing now. Let’s not go round in circles. These players are being incited by one of us,” Ngala said.
"It is regrettable that some of us have sunk so low that they share these monies with the players. So they incite the players to go on strike so that they can also get their share. That is quite unfortunate."
"We have noted this and have been keeping quiet as officials for long, but action must now be taken. If we follow the law, the players stand to lose big time," he said.
Ngala’s comments come a day after Gor players candidly spoke to Nation Sport about the ill-treatment they have endured in the course of the current campaign that culminated in the poor performance against RS Berkane.
The rift between the players and the management is now growing wider, and there was an unusually sombre mood yesterday at Camp Toyoyo where the players converged to train for the first time since the Sunday’s match.
K’Ogalo is scheduled to play Bandari this afternoon in Mbaraki in a SportPesa Shield round of 16 match. The team leaves Thursday night for Morocco to play RS Berkane in return match on Sunday.
