Update: John Macharia and Andrew Juma joining Gor Mahia
Gor Mahia have signed winger John Macharia formerly of Laiser Hill Academy and who recently played in Georgia
Additional reporting from goal.com
The Kenyan champions have unveiled their third signing as they strive to fill gaps left by the mass exodus at the club
Gor Mahia have continued with their transfer activities this window after confirming the arrival of winger John Macharia.
The ex-Kenya U-20 player has inked a two-year contract to join the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions ahead of the new season which is slated to kick off in October.
“In a bid to strengthen the squad ahead of the new season, Gor Mahia have acquired the services of John Macharia,” Gor Mahia stated on their official website.
“Macharia who is a winger has signed a two-year contract deal with K’Ogalo. He previously featured for Thika United, FC Kolkheti and FC Saburto-2 of Georgia.
“Macharia is excited to join the Green Army and is looking forward to working closely with the technical bench and his teammates to win more trophies for the club.”
Macharia moved to Georgia in 2017 where he was snapped by FC Kolkheti Poti from National Super League side FC Talanta; the club having been home to midfielder Amos Nondi (now at Dila Gori) and Eric ‘Marcelo’ Ouma (now at AIK Fotboll).
Earlier this year, Macharia was training with Georgian Liga2 side FC Rustavi as he worked out ways to get a better team.
On Friday, Gor Mahia also unveiled striker Tito Okello from Ugandan Premier League (UPL) champions Vipers SC.
The Kenyan champions have been hit hard this transfer window, losing a number of key players among them defender Joash Onyango, who signed for Simba SC of Tanzania.
Others are goalkeeper David Mapigano to Azam FC, winger Dickson Ambundo to promoted side Dodoma Jiji, winger Boniface Omondi and goalkeeper Peter Odhiambo both to Wazito FC.
Other players set to leave Gor Mahia include captain Kenneth Muguna who is negotiating with Petro Atletico of Angola, defender Charles Momanyi to KCB while Ghanaian Jackson Owusu, left for his native country and the club is not sure whether he will return.
By virtue of being declared the KPL champions after the league was ended prematurely in mid-March owing to the effects caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Gor Mahia will carry Kenya’s flag in the Caf Champions League.
Macharia becomes K’Ogalo’s third signing after Okello and goalkeeper Levis Opiyo, who arrived from promoted side Nairobi City Stars.
Andrew Juma
Following the departure of Joash Onyango and the rumoured departure of Charles Momanyi, Gor Mahia are in the process of coming to an agreement with Andrew Juma who currently plays for Mathare United
Additional reporting from goal.com
Close sources indicate the centre-back has accepted K’Ogalo’s offer and is expected to fill the void left by Joash Onyango
Kenyan giants Gor Mahia have signed Mathare United centre-back Andrew Juma, Goal can report.
Juma has signed a two-year deal with the Kenyan Premier League record champions and becomes the third player to arrive at K’Ogalo.
The defender is seen as the most capable local talent to replace Joash Onyango, who followed Meddie Kagere and Francis Kahata’s recent footsteps and joined Tanzanian champions Simba SC.
The local heavyweights have already confirmed the signing of goalkeeper Levis Opiyo from Nairobi City Stars. Opiyo arrived as the Green Army lost David Mapigano – after just a season – to Tanzanian side Azam FC.
Goalkeeper Peter Odhiambo was released and later joined Boniface Omondi at Wazito FC.
Former Vipers SC striker Tito Okello has also signed for the giants and is expected to replace his Ugandan counterpart Juma Balinya, who is understood to be in advanced talks with Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA FC).
Burundian striker Jules Ulimwengu has been reported to be on the radar of Gor Mahia, as well as Cameroonian midfielder Bertrand Konfor.
Malawian star Andrew Numero, currently playing for Africa Warriors FC of South Africa, has also been heavily linked with the 2019/20 Caf Champions League participants.
Patrick Sibomana had also been reported to be on his way to Nairobi to sign for K’Ogalo but sources have indicated that he’s on his way to Zambia to sign for either Forest Rangers or former Super League champions Zesco United instead.
Meanwhile, Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier has insisted Betsafe are the club’s sponsors and that Gor are now focusing on kit procurements.
“We have signed a very supportive contract with them [Betsafe]. They are going to be our sponsors and let there be no confusion on that issue,” Rachier told the club’s portal. “At the moment we are engaged at procuring new replica jerseys which will be sold to our fans, but immediately we will need the training kits for the club and this is an immediate thing so that we can have a new-look Gor Mahia.”
Gor Mahia are yet to start pre-season engagements given the social gathering and sporting activities ban still in force.
Welcome to the home of champions… Your good passing range and solid defending will help kogalo immensely.
Hoping the club will finalize transfers before CAF Champions league
John Macharia winger from Georgia Kolkherti Poti osechopo…Wingbacks Mathare kaa bende nitie kaka wadwaro…Signings biro dabal kaluree
Mbili mbili Kama kawaida. Two year contract only beneficial to the player.
How come every season we are always blessed to have our resident mad man on this forum…..and they are always different ama ni mmoja ana mutate?
Spirit of Kogallo.
We have useless supporters that demand players to be paid and want quality signings. All over the world football teams have bern going through lean times and Gor Mahia is not exceptional. These imbeciles are always complaining of everything but they do not know where funds for paying players and technical bench members come from. My big question is who knew about Joash Onyango? Let the office do their mandated tasks in peace.
*been
Mediocre thinking is what has confined Gor Mahia to local stardom, which will soon be threatened, with no continental ,regional title or even a local double since 1987.
Of course nobody knew Joash & others until GMFC nurtured him and gave him a platform to showcase his skills.
That and his hard work paid off but only for him. It takes about 2 years for our rough diamonds to be polished enough to start attracting attention.
By then we lose them for free either because we aren’t paying salaries or the mbili mbili kama kawaida contracts is running out making them free agents either way.
Transfer fees and gate collections are an important sources of income for any club so one wonders how one can run their mouth calling fans useless for pointing out an important loophole that is costing the club dearly as if were a case of ” loose lips sinking ships”.
Jausenge’s transfer brought in 14m with a monthly payroll of 3m the club is covered for 4 months from a single transaction.
GMFC has had problems paying salaries be in good times ( 1 per match gate collections, sponsorship etc) or lean times.
The only reason why Muguna hasn’t bolted is because he has 18 months of his 4 year contract to go. You simply clear his salary arrears and hold out for a decent transfer fees. Let’s engage our faculties a little before spewing abuse.
The new S.G enumerated these issues very well.
**(days of 1m per match gate collections)
Simba did not buy Joash and co. to win
the local Tanzanian league or titles but to make a serious assault on the continental platform.
Similarly by losing him and others, Gor Mahia’s potential progress on the continental scene will stagnate or even regress by a couple of years.
A case of for every 2 steps forward we take 2 steps backwards so at best we forever remain on the starting blocks because of repeated false starts, insanity some say.
A reminder in Africa real money can only be made by progressing further, to at least the group stages, in CAF tournaments and not by winning the local premier league or beating efusi.
If GMFC aren’t sure of reaching the CAF group stages then it’s better not to show up at all as it’s just a BIG FINANCIAL BLUNDER/ NIGHTMARE that haunts the club for the rest of the season.
Useless comments and uncalled for. Have you given the office money. The office can’t force a player to sign up for a longer period of time if the player and his agent are not willing. Be realistic and stop critizing for the shake of it.
Obuya… I disagree with you. It takes less than 2 years to actually fine tune those rough diamonds…. Some of those players have come in and been instant hits, like olunga. Donning that Gor jersey makes you an instant hit or miss!!
Are you trying to imply that just because we have lost key players we forfeit our caf matches so as to also save on some cash? Do you really know the repurcussions for that? Or are you implying that we don’t win the league so that we don’t have to participate in caf because of the financial implications. Which is which?
Let me rephrase it.
When you qualify for CAF, by winning the league or shield, be prepared to at least qualify for the group/ prize money stages.
This is because the 4/6 preliminary matches will cost the club maybe in excess of kes.15-25m.
If you are eliminated at the preliminary stage you spend ten of millions with zero returns.
Sally Bolo gave figures, probably exaggerated, of kes.3m and 7m per home and away game.
That’s kes.60m is you start off in CAF CL, then drop to CC.
If the club reaches the CAL CL group stage the club is guaranteed $550,000 (approx. Kes.55m) For CAF CC group stage prize money is $275,000 (kes.27.5m)
The repercussions for opting out ( fine and ban for maybe 2 years) cannot compare to the cost of being continuously eliminated in the preliminary rounds of CAF because of losing quality players.
As per Sally Bolo the cost of CAF preliminary rounds ranges between kes.40-60m per year.
By quality players I means those able to perform at continental level and not just being hits against efusi.
Our undoing is losing players who can help us progress on the continental level where the real money and greater fame is!
Try and see local soccer success as a stepping stone to the bigger CAF stage, in terms of fame/money for club/players, rather than as an end in itself.
Obuya is correct. Several months back coach Hassan Oktay pointed out the same thing. He said that even when the club received a massive transfer fee such as that of Jacque Tuyisenge, Rachier was still complaining that the club was broke and cannot pay salaries.
And as Nyangi pointed out, Rachier initially denied that the club received money from Kaizer Chiefs for the sale of Walusimbi. When pressed he later admitted that the club received something. We still don’t know how much because Rachier is hiding the amount.
In January the club received about Ksh 7 million from Umbro yet they still did not pay player salaries for several months.
The players who are being signed will be good enough to compete in the local league but the club will have no impact in the CAF Champions League. In order to compete at that level you need to be able to hold onto quality players.
Ask yourself why it is that when Kogallo players go to Tanzania or Zambia, they are no longer itching to leave their new club? Calabar has been at Zesco for 7 years now. When he was at Kogalo he was always rumoured to be leaving and eventually left after only 3 seasons. Kagere stayed for 1 season, left then came back again for 1 season.
Express of Uganda walked that path with the same reasons and pulled out of the continental matches, basically reasoning like my frens , They have never recovered. Where will you coup the money to participate after two years, just asking.