Kenya: Gor Mahia Club Calls for Generous Fans

The Kenyan team of Gor Mahia, in February 2019. Yasuyoshi CHIBA / AFP

Text by: Sébastien Nemeth Follow

In Kenya, the biggest football club asks its supporters to help it financially. Gor Mahia is severely affected by the coronavirus crisis.

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Kenya's largest football club calls for the solidarity of its fans. Gor Mahia, based in the capital Nairobi, and crowned 19 times national champion, asks for money from his supporters. Already in financial difficulty, the club was severely affected by the Covid-19 epidemic which ended the championship prematurely.

"  It's been 5 months that players have had no salary and yet they still have rents to pay and families to feed,  " said Ambrose Rachier. The situation has become so critical that the president of Gor Mahia begs the fans to put their hands in their pockets. If they want to help the club survive, he suggests that they convert their loyalty points accumulated with telephone operators into money and donate them to the team.

"  Our supporters will do their best but they do not earn much and they too are affected by the epidemic,  " said Captain Kenneth Muguna, who has made no secret of his personal financial distress since he was no longer in salary.

A private club of big sponsors

The federation ended the championship in April because of the epidemic, designating Gor Mahia the winner again. This does not prevent the club from being in turmoil. Some players are even in the process of being evicted from their homes. “  I told the property owners that the rent arrears were due to the suspension of wages. The players will pay them as soon as they have their money,  "said Ambrose Rachier.

The health crisis comes to deal a heavy blow to the team, already weakened since the end of last year after the departure of its main sponsor, Sport Pesa. The online betting company paid most of Gor Mahia's operating costs. With the end of the championship, other sponsors also dropped the team, pushing the Kenyan champion further.

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