K’Ogalo bring back sparkle to local football

What you need to know:

  • So much was at stake but once again, Gor belied their underdog status and left USMA relieved they had escaped a sparsely filled Kasarani with a precious point in the bag.
  • Few, if anyone can vividly remember the last time a Kenyan side took a north African team to football school, especially one reduced to 10-men shortly after the start of the second half.

There is a paradigm shift sweeping across Kenyan football and the catalyst of an exciting future in the local version of the sport is none other than SportPesa Premier League champions, Gor Mahia.

Twice in three days, the Dylan Kerr-coached domestic giants have proven that local teams can compete against and even better supposedly more professional and talented sides.

Last Sunday, Gor took on the challenge of English Football League Championship side, Hull City that was everything but the international friendly it was billed to be where they impressed with a dogged display.

On a rain-soaked and bitterly cold evening at the same Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani on Wednesday night, the most-decorated club in Kenya was left wondering just how they did not beat Algerian titans, USM Alger (USMA).

This was not another friendly but a 2018 Caf Confederation Cup group phase fixture where victory for USMA would have set them on their way to top Group D of the competition, sinking Gor to the bottom in the process.

So much was at stake but once again, Gor belied their underdog status and left USMA relieved they had escaped a sparsely filled Kasarani with a precious point in the bag.

Few, if anyone can vividly remember the last time a Kenyan side took a north African team to football school, especially one reduced to 10-men shortly after the start of the second half.

“I think we are cursed! It could have been SuperSport United; there were many Sangoma (witchdoctors) when we went there. I can’t explain why we are not scoring,” Kerr remarked with jest.

However, his face turned serious when he addressed their profligacy in front of goal, admitting he could explain why his side were misfiring despite creating a glut of chances.

On Wednesday night, they could have well been out of sight by half time, with winger George “Blackberry” Onyango in particular, wasting their best two chances of the half.

Ivorian striker, Ephrem Guikan who ran his socks off and club record signing, Jacques Tuyisenge, also passed up golden opportunities to strike.

Midfielder Francis Kahata put such an imperious display of link up play that made those watching wonder if they were not seeing a player belonging to Spanish giants FC Barcelona, not a man who had returned to the SPL after a failed spell in Europe.

“I’m delighted with my players. They are getting better in training but we can’t score,” Kerr rued.

The British coach further said: “Gor is changing the face of football in Kenya. We have to believe in ourselves and we know there are problems in Kenyan football but we have to go out and do our best.

“I’m proud we salvaged a positive result playing with 10-men in a Confed Cup match is not easy. Rayon and Yanga who play USMA next will look at this result and see they are not invincible,” the former Hai Phong and Simba SC head coach remarked.

The biggest problem Kerr was referring to is the lack of finances needed to turn the immense potential to international success.

As recently as last month, it took the intervention of Nairobi Governor, Mike Sonko, to bail out the team at the last minute to enable K’Ogalo honour the return leg of their Confed Cup play-off against SuperSport where Kahata’s precious away goal in a 1-2 defeat sent them through.

Such embarrassing close shaves had become a thing of the past when the club signed a three-year deal with bookmakers SportPesa but the partnership was cut short in January when the firm was forced to suspend involvement in local sport following the imposition of steep Government tax on their operations.

Therefore, it was a big respite for K’Ogalo when their title partners came back on board on April 24 just before they embarked on their group stage assignments in the Confed Cup.