Gor Mahia players mount a guard of honour for 2024-25 FKF Premier League champions Kenya Police FC before the last match of the season at Ulinzi Sports Complex, Nairobi on June 22, 2025.
Perhaps the most humiliating moment for ardent Gor Mahia fans was on June 22, 2025 at Ulinzi Sports Complex, in Nairobi, when the team was forced to mount a guard of honour for Kenya Police FC, the winners of the 2024/2025 Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKF-PL).
That K’Ogalo players had to go through such a humbling experience was a bitter pill to swallow for many of the fans, fondly known as the Green Army. It was the nadir point of a team that did not see a chance they never wanted to throw away.
This is not a team in Gor Mahia's league, many a K'Ogalo fan would state, matter-of-factly. But there they were, watching as their players lined up like petty offenders waiting in line to be arrested by the police (no pun intended).
Lawrence Owino (left) of Gor Mahia tackles Brian Musa of Kenya Police FC during a match in the FKF Premier League match at Ulinzi Sports Complex on June 22, 2025.
At the start of the league, Gor Mahia was sure they would successfully defend the league title they won the previous season, and the fans were crowing that the cup was theirs to keep. Even when the team started showing signs of faltering, the fans had faith. They never knew that at the end of it all they would be left in a pink pickle, tear gas thrown amid calls for coach Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno to be sacked.
On December 12, 2024 Gor Mahia threw away a golden chance to consolidate their title campaign, losing 1-0 to Kenya Police in a match that saw anti-riot police chase away unruly fans who were baying for coach Zico’s blood. Another loss that was completely unacceptable to the fans was against lowly City Stars. Others were against Bandari FC, and lowly Bidco United.
Fans of Kenya Police FC cheer their team during a match against Gor Mahia at Police Sacco Stadium, Nairobi in the FKF Premier League on February 3, 2024.
At the centre of all this fiasco, if you ask an average Gor Mahia fan, are two men - Zico and the club’s chairman Ambrose Rachier. Some of the fans allege that Zico has always been undermining coaches brought to Gor Mahia so that he ends up being the number one. Accusing fingers are pointed at Rachier in that he has refused or failed to stamp his authority, and sack Zico so as to bring some order to the club.
The chaos in the club’s technical bench came to the open in April when then coach, Croatian Sinisa Mihic, sacked Michael Nam and Victor Nyaoro who were members of his technical bench. Mihic and Nam reportedly almost came to blows at the training ground on that day. At the end of it all, it was Mihic who was sent packing.
Former Gor Mahia coach Sinisa Mihic gestures on the touchline during a match against Mathare United at Dandora Stadium on February 8, 2025.
Many are agreed that the coach who had the best chance of taking Gor places had he been given ample time was Brazilian Leonard ‘Leo’ Neiva.
There was a bounce in the step of players and fans appreciated the clinical passes the players came to develop, thanks to the man from legendary player Pele’s home town of Sao Paulo.
Zico’s spectacular failures
This is how this newspaper wrote about Leo after an interview: ‘His journeys have finally brought him to Kenya and he is glad that he landed at Kenya’s glamour club, Gor Mahia, where he says the players and the fans are…to use the current in-season term…just the bomb.”
A fan of Kenya Police FC cheer the team during a match against Gor Mahia at Police Sacco Stadium, Nairobi in the FKF Premier League on February 3, 2024.
What is his philosophy? Hold on to the ball, check where you are, then pass accurately, he declares. He says he has a bunch of eager and talented players at Gor Mahia who execute his instructions to the letter. ‘They are good players. Very good,’ he says with the pride of a parent talking about his child’s impressive end of term exam results.
Neiva is also a firm believer in having his players switch positions as a match progresses. ‘It is never a good thing to be predictable and that is why I am always switching my players and changing the formation,’ he says.”
Finally our chat docks at the shore of the recent 3-0 drubbing of Gor by Egyptian giants Al Ahly. Neiva was the first to admit that Al Ahly is a bigger team than Gor. He, however, was proud of his charges for not getting scared with the pedigree of the Arabs, but choosing to take the battle to the opponents’ doorstep instead.
Austin Odhiambo (right) of Gor Mahia tussle with Al Ahly's Attia Marawan during their Caf Champions League first leg of the second preliminary round clash at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on September 15, 2024.
‘I am very proud of my boys because they gave as much as they received. We went with them toe to toe and were it not for the early two goals that rattled our players, I am sure the results would have been different,’ he says.”
Be that as it may, anyone who was at Nyayo National Stadium that Sunday afternoon will agree that Gor displayed finesse that is not common in our neck of the woods and that they gave a good account of themselves especially in the second half.
Afterwards, Neiva said that he was intentional on building a juggernaut out of the squad, producing a team that will be a menace not only in Kenya but continentally. “If we can improve our rankings we will soon be paired with teams from countries like Botswana, Uganda and such like. Against such we would easily prevail thus giving us a good chance of playing in the group stages in continental competitions,” he said.
Gor Mahia striker Benson Omalla (right) runs for the ball under close watch from Lennox Ogutu of Nairobi United during the finals of Mozzart Bet Cup at Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi on June 29, 2025.
As it is, Gor were to suffer a painful 2-1 defeat at the hands of minnows Nairobi United on Sunday at Ulinzi Sports Complex to lose the Mozzart Bet Cup and with it, the chance to play in any African competition in 2026. Irate fans bayed for Zico’s blood once again.
What raised hackles among the fans was Zico’s haphazard squad naming. It was ironical that goalkeeper Gad Mathews who was named the tournament’s best goalie, was on the bench in the final match, thanks to Zico’s bizarre fielding techniques.
Whether Rachier will crack the whip and send Zico and his technical bench packing is a matter entirely in the chairman’s hands. Meanwhile it is the long suffering fans who will have to put up with Zico’s spectacular failures.
