Rachier: Sportpesa standoff spells doom
Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier is adamant that if the standoff between the government and Sportpesa is not resolved amicably, Gor Mahia will not participate in the CAF champions league.
“It is doom and gloom. It is our prayer that the standoff between the government and betting firms is resolved amicably,” he said on KTN.
Both Rachier and newly elected AFC Chairman Dan Shikanda stressed the importance of Sportpesa.
“Of course we understand the position of the government, but whatever action they take they should also consider the sports industry. SportPesa and other betting companies have invested millions of shillings.” said Rachier.
Shikanda believes the government should uphold the interests of sports.
“Ingwe depends a hundred per cent on SportPesa funding. We simply don’t know where we go from here. The government, we believe, has the best interest of everyone including Leopards,” Shikanda said.
Gor Mahia targeting Thomas Ulimwengu
Team manager Jolawi Obondo has confirmed that striker Thomas Ulimwengu is on Gor Mahia’s radar.
“We are looking for a striker. He (Ulimwengu) could be the one. Or it could be someone else. We have a list of names we are pursuing and the coach wants to be sure of who is coming in because this is a crucial department,” Obondo said to the Nation.
According to the Nation, Ulimwengu’s going price is Ksh 9 million. Half to the club (Rayon) and half to the player.
Ulimwengu has scored three goals in the CECAFA club cup and scofred 12 goals in the Rwandese league.
Oktay admits that replacing Kahata and Tuyisenge is difficult
Hassan Oktay has so far offered trials to two Congolese strikers and one Camerounian to no avail.
“Honestly speaking Tuyisenge and Kahata’s exit is a big blow to us. Kahata is a gifted player, who made everyone playing around him better, while Tuyisenge is just a natural striker. We are looking for some options but finding players with such quality on the current transfer market is not easy,” Oktay told Standard Sports.
Oktay says the new signings have a long way to go before they reach the calibre needed.
“Yes, we have made a number of signings, but they need to improve a lot. They still have a long way to go to establish themselves in the team. We hope to get at least one good striker before the new season.
“At the moment as a professional coach, I don’t have an option but use what I have.”
Kahata and Tuyisenge for their part are thankful for having played at Kogalo.
“Players come and go, but for a big club like Gor Mahia their history will always remain. I think my time to leave Gor Mahia had arrived and I had to leave. I’m confident they will get better players than us,” said Kahata to the Standard.
Tuyisenge was equally appreciative.
“What I have achieved with Gor Mahia is unmeasurable. Even as I prepare for my new challenge, I feel indebted to Gor Mahia fans and the club itself.” Tuyisenge added to the Standard.
A BIG THANK YOU TO BOTH Tuyisenge and Kahata.
You were EXCEPTIONAL talents rare gems to find.
GOD’S PRESENCE ENGULF you and propel you to greater heights in your respective professional pursuit.
Thank you once again
On the Sportpesa / GoK stand off IS AN APT REMINDER to Gor Mahia E C that they must strategically change from Management by always stretching the “begging bowl ” into PROFESSIONAL STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT by engaging in TANGIBLE Income generating VENTURES.
To do this they must embrace FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND REPORTING in order to attract fans back to the stadium terraces as well as SERIOUS INVESTERS.
TAKING TANGIBLE actions against dishonest officials in their midst who have been demanding bribes from potential players upon signing for Gor Mahia.
By engaging independent investigative agencies to investigate alleged financial malpractices, as well as demanding commissions on players’ sign on fees.
And making public the out come as well as taking punitive actions to curb such vices.
good luck on Ulimwengu.
@Joe Riaga , please allow me to indulge you further on what we were discussing , you opine that the solution to what we were discussing is not an election but rather in a new constitution , the fact is that neither the two are exclusive of the other and that an election is a consequence and a creature of the constitution , and the bottom line leads as to the fact that you have to register as a member to participate in that constitution making process , and after getting that constitution , be part of the process that elects good men and women to actualise the said constitution .
Ofcourse , if my intention is to arrive at a conclusion , negative or otherwise , I can never fail to get that reason and in this case I decide to look at that part of the glass that is half full and seek to grow it , the opposite is to see the part that is half empty and inadvertently which I believe is your case , since you mean well , reduce the contents of the glass through your acts of innocent omission in pursuit of the ideal.
I am repetitive on this subject and deliberately so because of its capacity to get us more money than our sponsors are giving us , but we must be pragmatic because the status quo never changes itself without
being pushed .
Lastly , a shortwhile ago , a constitution making process was taking place , but what happened ?, a majority of us became experts on the pros and cons of the resultant constitution , yet they had the chance of making it , meaning that engaging in that debate was an exercise in futility and choices have consequence and if at all you dont like the consequence , then be a lady and gentleman by taking full responsibility for your absence , your excuses notwithstanding .
@Teddy
You are describing an ideal situation where everything is perfect. I on the other hand am telling you reality.
Its just like in Kenya politics, we should be voting on issues, yet instead people vote on tribal basis. You are acting like a politician who goes around trying to win an election by being issue-based, yet in Kenya you can only win by building tribal alliances.
I am telling you that in a realistic, non-idealistic world, fans will never become members because they assume that everyone in Kenya is a thief and their money will disappear. The only remedy is to enforce transparency.
Either you live with reality or live in your imaginary world where fans will become members trust officials without audited accounts.
@Joe Riaga , in your previous post , you proffered a new constitution and not an election as the solution to the subject at hand , now you have it that all that is needed is to enforce transparency , all these require a concerted effort of everyone , my how is through membership , to write a new constitution (done already ) , an accountable EC (elections are coming ) and then enforce the transparency , that is my way ,@ Joe Riaga , what is your way ? , I believe all both of us want is a solution .
While I support and thank Sportpesa for their sponsorship, they should not use Gor to fight their wars with the Govt. What is the nature of demand the govt has with betting firms. Is there an attempt of tax evasion by the Betting firms?
Sportpesa has an Ace card, call Gor and tell them we are shutting the tap.
The next day Gor is all over the press fighting a war portraying the govt as anti-sport.(read agitating the fans)
Next day Govt withdraws demands.
4th day Sportpesa starts smiling again.
The major reason Sportpesa came to Gor was to silence the GorLotto idea. I do not think at any moment Sportpesa can afford to leave Gor blindly. But Gor EC being what it is, confusion, corruption and with no business acumen, the Gor Lotto idea would simply remain an idea.
What amount is the smallest betting firm making in Kenya? In other words the govt knows who has the billions and it wants more!!
How Sportpesa should carry out their business in Kenya is probably an argument for another day.
My thought of of today is that Gor should not be the front-man in this battle with the govt.
2. the club should instead start looking into the GorLotto idea.(should Sportpesa pull the plug)
I’m sure when Gor signed with Sportpesa, one clause must have been connected to GorLotto… not necessarily by name.
@dinga
1. You say that Sportpesa cannot leave Gor blindly, they did when this standoff first came up and we suffered like hell till they came back.
2. The GorLotto idea died before it started. Let them bring it back and maybe we can place a bet on how long it will take before it flops.
3. Do you really think Sportpesa needs Gor more than Gor needs Sportpesa? If no, this question is moot, if yes, kindly educate me how?
@dinga , I fully concur with your sentiments , Sports Pesa is using Gor n Afc plus the excuse the funding other sports entities with a measly approx ksh 200/year , paying taxes of 4b while making over 200b per year , it is good to note that while Gor n Afc are already screaming n wailing , Everton , that gets BILLIONS of shillings yearly from sports pesa are sleeping soundly .
One makes over 200billion from kenya , spends a measly 200million per year in the country they make the money from , spends billions on Everton and Hull City and then we are supposed to clap .
But again when one goes to a negotiations while presenting oneself as a helpless and hopeless begger , what we are witnessing is the result .
Otherwise Sportpesa aint going nowhere because there is nowhere else that they can get away with what they get away with in kenya .
@teddy sofaset branch entebbee, stop yelling on what you do not know. Where do get the figures of KES200 billion from? Quote the source. Get your facts rights before making false and malicious allegations with long boring postings.
I just pity those that read your malicious postings.
Please quote your real name rather than hiding under pseudo name of @teddy sofaset branch entebbe.
@Omany Victor , while pitying those who read my malicious posts , I have taken note that you read it too , otherwise its more of a rant than anything worth responding to ,@Peter , your point noted , its more interactive than a quarrel – appreciated though I disagree with the figures published by the subject .
@sofaset ,ss published yesterday what they make in Kenya and its not 200BN , that amount is held on wallets of punters by the telecos and is not property of betting companies.
We for sure do not know how to negotiate. Why did we leave out from the financial plan a budget amount to recruit new players at the end of each season with guaranteed salary within market rate of a good player. The money we make to release the players become income for the club. Gor would then compete with anyone in Africa to attract good players without a problem. We would have sent scouts to AFCON to watch “hopefuls”. This would have kept us in the continental competition and that what the likes of Sportpesa want. Visibility. Such entities will always negotiate to their advantage and unfortunately Gor always get to negotiate when they are very desperate and they just say “show me where to sign”. Gor has immense GOODWILL asset that they can take advantage of and use to attract, develop and release players at an astronomical amount to help sustain the club. But any negotiated sponsorship must include money to replenish the squad every end of season. Ulimwengu asking/signing fee “would be peanut” and Tuyisenge value would be mind boggling. This is business.
1. Whatever Sportpesa makes is none of our concern. It is a business driven by the profit motive that is the basis of all business. They have decided to share part of that ‘immoral’ profit with Gor. And for me I appreciate. So now that they may pull out can these bloggers castigating Sportpesa get us another sponsor who shares half or most of its’ profits with charity. Everton is not in the equation here because the authorities in England are not seeking to rid their country of betting and gambling so Sportpesa is not under threat there.
2. Just the other day I had said that however much promise and talent our new signings have they cannot match Tuyisenge, Kahata and Blackberry. Until we sign other players of like quality, I stand by that statement. I was told to shut up because am always wrong. I think Oktay is saying something similar so the ‘know it all’ experts kindly tell Oktay to shut up as he doesn’t know what the heck he sayin’
It is Jules Ulimwengu and not Thomas Ulimwengu Gor Mahia is pursuing. This we site shout take note.
Website should take note.
Gor Mahia is yet to face tough challenge in CECAFA. Bandari was in a more tougher group than Gor Mahia, Djibouti(AS Port) and Zanzibar (KMKM) are not football power houses worth comparing Kenya(Gor Mahia) with.
Careful there bro….You risk being attacked for saying the obvious. There is a see no evil, hear no evil foolishly optimistic brigade here where you are not supposed to point out any weakness in our club. What they never seem to have been taught is that constructive criticism builds than myopic sycophancy even in the face of blatant facts.
That is the plain truth. The real test begins with Green Eagles. They should do their best so that they can earn some measure of respect. All the teams left after round one, on paper, can give very good competition. We should pray that the boys go past the quarters, so that they meet more worthwhile opposition in this tournament that Dan correctly described as Gor Mahia’s pre-season training camp.
hehehe, let us enjoy these rare moments when Gor Mahia faithfuls go at each other ? and tongs over Sportpesa. Good night ? my people. May the good Lord bless and keep you Msiumizane juu ya Gor Mahia na Sportpesa.
Breaking news has it that AFC Leopard has signed a top class striker former Rayon sport lethal target man ISMAIL DIARRA.Next season is shaping to be interesting going by the qualities being acquired by different teams in Kenya. Junes Ulimwengu please come faster at the mighty kogallo. Teddy sofa set please communicate, much bombastic words hamper first acquisition of Second language,I always get lost reading your post and this always force me to look for a dictionary yawa!!!!
Hehehe…let me also hear from the ‘ know it all ‘ that ADOR and Oktay are also prophets of doom. Truth hurts but it must be told at whatever price especially in Gor Mahia !
Someone has just said it like it is…..i quote head coach oktay….begin quote “When you have an intention of winning such tournaments as kagame cup, then you must come with your best squad and not kids. Of course, people’s expectations are high, but the truth of the matter is, we brought kids here to enjoy, gain experience as we prepare for the new season.” …end of quote .
May God bless our new season.
Personally I would be very much appreciative if Gor won this cup , but would I lose any sleep if they fail to do it , ofcourse not , I would , if I was the coach , which I am not , to test each and every player signed and see how they fit into whatever desired formations and secondly it is my opinion not to have an opinion on any of the signed players , first because am not conversant with them yet , but secondly I have on more than two occasions had the misfortune on the purported expert opinion more specifically when Olunga and Tuisenge were enlisted and the vitroil that followed thereafter , I must in fairness add that on Mustapha and Ssesikambu , the experts were right but again taken to its full context , the team’s performance has been progressive , Thats what the facts say and this makes me hopeful that we shall once again overcome the annual preseason ritualistic doomsday scenarios .
Am glad that other clubs moreso Afc and Wazito are showing significant investments in their squads and that in my opinion is good for Gor Mahia , Kenya and competition .
Always said Gor dominance is not good for itself and Kenyan football. Happy to see competitors going for high profile players i.e. AFC (I hope), Sharks, Wasito, Mathare, Sofa, Bandari will make the league competitive