Players receive partial backpay
Gor Mahia players who had gone several months without pay, have received part of their dues.
Report from Citizen Sport
Gor Mahia tactician Steven Pollack now says the club is heade in the right direction after part of the overdue salaries was paid to players and the technical bench.
The Finnish coach says everybody involved in the club affairs has received payment and they are all in high spirits even though he still expects the club to clear the balances, the gesture by the management is a big motivation to his boys ahead of the pre-season.
“I am happy our players have received salaries and this is a big motivation and a nice gesture from the management. It is now easier to plan with our boys for the next season than when they had not been paid,” he said.
Only two days ago, the club chairman Ambrose Rachier showed sympathy with the players whom he said were having problems with their landlords over unpaid rent and promised to arrest the situation.
The club has been caught between a rock and a hard place owing to lack of financial flow, with the playing unit and technical bench members owed several months of pay.
The tactician also hinted that they have a number of players they are interested in but they want the current players to be ‘fully happy’ before they can complete talks with the new potential players.
Asked about the players on their radar, Pollack indicated that any good club in the world makes the present players happy before going for more.
“I don’t think it is wise to bring on new players before we fully make our current players happy. They need to come and find the rest of the team happy and not complaining. That is when we can build a strong team,’’ added Pollack.
Despite being happy with the partial payment, Pollack said he is hopeful the club management will further pay the player balances and allowances soonest.
Pollack added that they will go through their previous transfer-wish-list and revise it to suit the positions left vacant following the player exodus.
So far the club has lost two shot stoppers in David Mapigano and Fredrick Odhiambo who signed with Tanzanian giants Azam and Kenya moneybags Wazito respectively.
Kenya’s most valuable player Joash Onyango also left for Tanzanian powerhouse Simba SC to join his former team mates Meddie Kagere and Francis Kahata.
He was handed a starting role at the heart of defence during the Simba Day celebrations when Simba beat Burundi’s Vital Ó 6-0 on August 22.
Other reliable players who left include speedy winger Dickson Ambundo, striker Boniface Omondi who joined Wazito among others. It is rumoured that Charles Momanyi is on his way to KCB.
I fully support our coach Pollack in many ways but he becoming trigger happy with the press or social media. As a coach you are in a unique situation where you are connected to players, officials, club members/fans and even families of players. Coaches are also often in the role of an influencer to the many different groups. It is important how you as the coach use social media but also how you liaise, interact and observe the needs of all stakeholders, both on the field and off the field. Be familiar with and uphold your club policies in relation to social media. I don’t if the club has any media policies. If not, then we need some. Understand expected conduct and appropriate use of the media. Understand what to do if issues arise by not pitting groups against each other and understand how to report concerns.
The media report that you are not happy with the signing is not a good thing at all. Where are you now? Didn’t you know that this the recruitment window and you chose to go leave? Why have you been caught by surprise and happy by all the rumoured signings associated with Kogalo?
I advise Pollack whom I respect so much to be respectful and have an appropriate conduct on social media. Please, model good media behavior and you will serve all the stakeholders well.
Reporter asked him whether he knew the signings. He said he did not know. He is right. Most of the reports about signing Sibomana and Ulimwengu are just rumour mongering