Mustapha out, Otieno in as Gor close transfer business

Record Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions Gor Mahia on Friday evening announced the release of Burundi international Francis Mustapha as the transfer window closed in Kenya.

At the same time, Gor Mahia welcomed Kennedy Otieno from Western Stima just before the transfer window was shut, in a move to balance the attack options in their squad.

A source privy to the discussions that led to the release of Mustapha told Citizen Digital Gor had to sacrifice Mustapaha to abide with the KPL foreign players number rule.

“One of the foreign players had to be axed, and after considerations it was Mustapha who had to leave.  The foreign quota demands a club can only have a maximum of foreign players, thus it was expected one of the foreign ones in last season’s squad was to be released,” told the source.

Gor had earlier signed Francis Afriye, Yikpe Gnamian, David Mapigano and Dickson Ambundo; adding to Ugandan Shafiq Batambuze who was at K’Ogalo last season.

Mustapha scored only three goals for Gor in the 2018/2019 season, as he was mostly used as a substitute since his arrival in June 2018 from Rwanda’s Kiyovu.

Exited earlier

Jaques Tuyisenge, Erissa Ssekisambu, Francis Kahata, Pascal Ogweno, Cercidy Okeyo, Harun Shakava and Shaban Odhoji are other last season’s squad members who exited earlier, with another Ugandan Hashim Sempala also on his way out.

Gor will be looking to defend their KPL title for the fourth time in a row, despite the major departures including assistant coach Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno, with unanswered questions lingering over the future of head coach Hassan Oktay who on compassionate vacation.