Muguna returns, Joash Onyango still AWOL
Midfielder Kenneth Muguna has returned to the Kogalo training camp as the club prepares for their crucial CAF Confederations cup match against DC Motema Pembe that is scheduled for Sunday
Additional reporting from goal.com
The former Western Stima player returns from exile after missing K’Ogalo’s league match against Kariobangi Sharks on Sunday
Gor Mahia midfielder Kenneth Muguna has returned from exile after he missed the team’s Kenyan Premier League (KPL) win against Kariobangi Sharks on Sunday.
The former Western Stima player missed training last week after featuring for the national team in a friendly against Mozambique which Kenya lost 1-0.
Muguna alongside defenders Joash Onyango and Maurice Ojwang didn’t show up for their training sessions forcing coach Steven Polack to demote Muguna and Onyango from the captaincy roles and handing it to Charles Momanyi and Joachim Oluoch.
However, Polack has now confirmed to Goal that Muguna reported to the team’s training camp on Tuesday though he did not train. Onyango’s whereabouts remain unknown.
“[Muguna] came to training on Tuesday but he was not involved in training,” Polack told Goal. “He has explained to me the reason why he missed last week’s training sessions and as a coach I am trying to analyse and see the best way we can solve the problem.
“For [Onyango] I have not seen him yet nor heard from him, we don’t know where he is and [we] are waiting to see when he resurfaces. But for [Ojwang], he is injured and did not train so we want to give him time to respond to treatment.”
Asked whether Muguna will be involved when they face Daring Club Motema Pembe of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the play-off of the Caf Confederation Cup, Polack responded: “I don’t reveal my starting eleven before matchday.
“[Muguna] is yet to train with us and he must train to convince me he deserves a starting role in the squad. All the players I have in camp are working very hard, training hard and I can only pick my squad a day before or during matchday.”
On whether he will take disciplinary action against Muguna, Polack said; “I have listened to his reasons why he never showed up in training and will discuss the same with the top management.
“I cannot make a decision on my own but will involve the management so that we know what exactly to do. I cannot say for now whether he will be punished or not.”
K’Ogalo will play the first leg at home on October 27 before they head away for the return leg after a fortnight.
Muguna is still bonafide the captain of the team and joash is still bonafide the assistant captain of the team. I stili put the same issue to EC and other players….solidarity is important and every party MUST respect its side of the bargain otherwise all hell will break loose , just a matter of time.
So you put the same solidarity issue for players to strike over unpaid dues? Ifuwo kaa siandani. Nothing will break loose Gor Mahia is strong and has people in charge running things. We suffer and give blood sweat and tears and Gor remains the collossus it is admired by many and top 20 in Africa
@Jakoyo, has Gor really refused to meet their part of the bargain? Are we in the same country? Let’s appreciate that only Bandari, Tusker, Ulinzi and Wazito are not feeling the current burden of participating in the league. Gor is worse off because of the CAF matches.
Kudos to the EC, the fans and players who are currently making the centre to hold, at least so far
DC Motema Pembe are coming this Friday. Lets focus on the players who are available
@ Dan original, I can tell you authoritatively , it is the sacrificed lambs I.e captain and the assistant captain who have been holding all this players together so far. Some people can only hold as far a they can, truth is I doubt if the situation will hold beyond 1st November. May be there will be some magic !
Any footballer in whatever level of football and has decided that football is their lifelong career has only one dream and that is to transit from wherever they are to the very elite that football has to offer and any platform that provides that opportunity must be grasped with both hands .
However , all factors not remaining constant , this decision must be the sole discretion of the player , not the fans , not his friends , not the EC and if Joash so decides that absconding is his best way forward , then , we , who are for or against must allow him to live for better or worse with his decision .
Having said that , real life experiences moreso vis a vis what we have witnessed locally shows that the kind of decision Joash has made has been made before and a few examples from Gor suffice , and of players who everybody agreed had the greatest prospect if only they had , inspite of the difficulties , sacrificed a bit of their haki yetu , looked at the bigger picture and exploited the platform Gor offered , I have two examples Collins Gatuso and Kevin Ade , we emotionally cheered Gatuso ‘s right to talk truth to power , and he talked this truth in more than 5clubs , eventually coming back to Gor and speaking more truths , how did it all end , am sure very few of us know how he ended or even where he is , but we all agree , taking his talents into account , that he could be plying his trade in Europe or China or in a more rewarding station .
The point is , guys who are already living their lives and are simplistic , shortsighted and non contextual will cheer you but once things go South , forget about you and continue with their lives like nothing happened , meanwhile you will be languishing solo and seri kali saidia-ing .
An advise to Joash is , if I had all those millions , I would use part as fare , to go for training , maximise the exposure and platform , Gor Mahia affords me , Give my all and somebody somewhere will notice and save me further agony of Kenyan football , I.e if am good as I have been made to believe .
Kagere was in Gor Mahia , he was good and at one time , he believed that he was too Good to go through the situation in Gor Mahia , he left Gor Mahia BUT again came BACK to the same same Gor Mahia with all its problems , now he is enjoying his millions and wages that is the envy of local players he left behind .
So yes , any player or worker deserves to be paid , and on time , but your career is not the ECs nor is it for the “stand for your rights” fans , it is your career , your life and if you decide to put the 3million in a fixed deposit and remain with nothing for fare , it is your decision and if you decide to swallow our cheering as you boycott training and remain at home , that too is your decision , Gor Mahia will move on , like they did in Afraha last weekend .
I wish you well though .
Teddy sofaset branch entebe..i hope joash reads this. Very nice advise. These players should learn to control their ego..even if joash and muguna joins KCB, Gor will still win the KPL..and may be..that will be their end in playing for harambee stars
Very true in life you have to be guided by long term visions.. . Joash should use common sense before common sense uses him
“[Muguna] and [Onyango} are back in training and in contention to face [Motema Pembe] on Sunday,” Polack told Goal on Friday.
“We had lengthy talks with the two the players on why they decided to skip training without permission and I have pardoned them. We want all our first team players available and it is the only way you can face a team like Motema Pembe with confidence.”
Thank you coach. You are a very sensible and sober leader. Johny umeona hiyo? Sometimes in life that happens to be the way out of a crisis.
All’s well that ends well. Asante SP.
Pesa ni za Joash sio za mama ama Baba ya mtu yeyote!
Ever heard of the song ” I’m not sober by Jamnazi Afrika”.
Suppose Joash bought a house, a plot or even a vehicle etc,etc in addition to the overused fixed deposit example. Each of these can easily cost 3m plus. How much of the famed 3m would be left and how was he supposed to anticipate that he would not be paid his salary for 3 months.
But where are the noisy “registered members” in addressing financial crisis.
Apart from the bloated EC led by ADOR ( I try to desist from refering to him as Mugabe out of respect to the liberation hero history the departed leader and also one should not talk ill of the dead) it’s actually their obligation to guarantee the running of the club especially now that the sponsor has bolted.
Instead of doing that and holding EC accountable, they keep ranting and raving that “non members” should not express their opinions.
The so called noisy registered members are so few and ineffective that players are not only unpaid but discarded when injured yet they cannot even call a SGM coz their combined financial power is negligible.
The “noisy registered members” are of “zero” value to GMFC such that club does not even see the need to differentiate them from fans. They are simply used to rubber stamp “elections”.
….@bb, And after persistent pressure from players they have been reinstated as both captain and assistant captain with 20k paid to each player as at yesterday to ease their pains.
That’s the SOLIDARITY we want to see and an EC that keep to their side of the bargain.
I now rest my case and let’s meet at the stadium tomorrow
Just finished reading an article in the daily nation online by Roy Gachuhi ( a writer I would recommend for all sports lovers) , and it has considerable insight on why Gor Mahia then , despite having in its ranks guys who had full time day jobs, hence minimal time for training still managed to be one of the best teams in Africa , I used this article to compare the present day Gor players and fans , and then asked myself if any of the players of now would displace any of the players of , say , the class of ’87 e.g would our current goalkeeper Mapigano displace David Kamoga , would our current left back displace Tobias Ochola , would Tobias Otieno displace Abbas Khamisi Magongo , would our strikers Afriye/kipkuriu displace Peter Dawo , would Sammy Onyango displace Sammy Onyango “Jogoo , would Joash/Momanyi displace Bobby Ogolla/Austin Oduor etc etc etc , those are questions best left to the jury .
Secondly , someone sent me a clip of an interview done yesterday of Sammy Omollo Pamzo and he had very good points on why Gor Mahia , inspite of all its problems remains the best option for foresighted players not just locally but also in Uganda , Rwanda and Burundi , a conversation I can buttress with a conversation I had sometimes back with Geoffrey Baba Kizito , who when I asked him why despite his pedigree chose Gor Mahia , told me this , that foriegners seem to recognise , acknowledge and appreciate the fact that Gor Mahia inspite of its challenges provides the best opportunity in this region for any serious footballer who has his sights for bigger things football has to offer and for them , Gor Mahia is just but a beginning to that journey , a beginning or for his case a chance to rekindle his fortunes , just like Kagere’s was a chance to rekindle his dimming fortunes by coming back to Gor INSPITE of him appreciating the fact that it would be with a lot of pains , but with a lot of Gains .
Sadly , one of the former foriegn players told me that whereas foriegn players treat Gor Mahia as the Beginning of a long journey , local players treat Gor Mahia as the End of a journey and hence while the foriegn player thinks of his life in football tomorrow , the local ( most , not all ) thinks of the good life and the salary of today .
Lastly , I compare the fans of now and the fans of then , while the present day fan will complain that Kasarani is far , that the match e.g against Motemba Pembe has not been well marketed and publicised and also look for any excuse not to attend and if they attend , not to Pay , the fans of then used to fill that Kasarani that has now become far , without the “marketing and publicity ” and PAY ( Both Gor and Afc fans , Afc fans to support the opponents ) .
I am still researching about the EC of then and the EC of now .
Finally , to the Present day fans , your huge presence in thestadium tomorrow , your PAYING for the same and your Maintaining the peace will go a long way in raising the much needed revenue and hence minimising some of the pressures the players are going through and the Peace will not only enhance our brand but it will also save us the unnecessary burden of paying Fifa fines with money we dont have .
Tujazeni Stadi .
@teddy…well said. Might you be Roy Gachuhi in disguise? In my honest opinion the players who donned the Gor colours mentioned, akina Bobby ogolla and abbas magongo were a joy to watch.
Every time I stepped into the stadium to watch them I used to have a serious adrenaline rush… These days it’s very mild though akina Tobias otieno are capable of bringing that rush back!!
@Jakoyo, I am sorry today I am upset with you. You know you are peddling lies when you allege that the reinstatement of our two captains was borne of pressure from the playing unit. You and I know that that is a clear lie. So why do you want to walk that path? Is it your wish that the playing unit should have applied some pressure? These are the kind of allegetions that lead some of our friends (your friends and my friends) to make analogies between Jakoyo and very agile athletes who choose to sprint (not run) with the Olympic torch in the midnight. I call these self-inflicted accusations.
@J’Asego, Oswozo Moziek and Teddy Sofaset here is proof that I have managed to purchase my ticket for tomorrow’s do-or-die encounter.
NJQ6IQ7VTA Confirmed. Ksh500.00 sent to AFRICA DATA TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED-ZENKU for account BAREFOOT BANDIT on 26/10/19 at 5:16 PM New M-PESA balance is Ksh BAREFOOT.00. Transaction cost, Ksh23.00.
You guys all remember how this e-ticketing has harrased me in the past.