Broke Gor hits new low as only 12 players turned up for Nzoia defeat

Gor Mahia troubles hit a new low with only 12 players showing up for Sunday’s defeat against Nzoai United, a phenomena assistant coach Sammy ‘Pamzo’ Omollo has blamed for the defeat.

Gor fell to a 2-0 defeat on the final day of action, finishing at position eight, 20 points adrift of champion Tusker, their worst run in a decade.

Pamzo also laments that the team’s lead strikers Tito Okello and Jules Ulimwengu snubbed the match with no prior notice leaving them between a rock and a hard place.

“These are our two lead strikers. They neither communicated nor showed up. The only other striker, Samwuel Onyango was sick and could not play. I think there must be something hidden in their minds which we don’t know,’’ said ‘Pamzo’.

The former Gor Mahia player said there were only 12 players in total who turned up for the match. So many other players never turned up, bar for a few who were nursing injuries.

‘’Imagine a bench with three players, two being reserve goalkeepers and one striker. Even before the beginning of the match I was already sensing either defeat or a draw at the best, ” he explained.

In the meantime Omollo has rued the signings made during the just ended season saying some of them were not of Gor’s calibre, a mistake which they cannot afford to repeat.

‘Gor Mahia needs serious and dedicated players. Some of our signings, both local and foreign have not demonstrated why they are supposed to be part of Gor. We will sit with the executive tomorrow to deliberate on the next step, mainly on our new season’s plan,’’ added ‘Pamzo’.

At the moment, Gor is only left with one right back, Philemon Otieno with Ugandan and former Tusker FC defender Fred Nkata being the only left back in the squad after Eric Ochieng picked an injury which is likely to keep him off the pitch for months.

Omollo says they will be very keen this time when recruiting to ensure they come up with a team that can impress locally and at the international level.

Gor Mahia will be starting in the continent’s second-tier, the CAF Confederations Cup for the first time in four years. They have been regulars in the CAF Champions League for the last four years but always dropped to the CAF Confederations Cup stages after failing to advance to round one of the elite competition.

They will wait to play the winner between South Sudanese side Atlabara FC and Sudanese neighbours Al Ahly Merowe next month.

In the meantime Gor chairman Ambrose Rachier has said many teams in the top-tier league are faced with financial crisis following the withdrawal of the title sponsor.

Rachier said Gor will specifically face the strain as featuring  at the continental level requires lots of money, not to forget operational costs.

In the past, Gor have been relying on well-wishers to foot their air travel expenses to honour continental assignments and this will be no different after the chairman admitted that the club is damn broke.