{"id":5623,"date":"2014-11-09T05:29:02","date_gmt":"2014-11-09T05:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gormahia.net\/latest\/?p=5623"},"modified":"2020-12-21T03:00:47","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T03:00:47","slug":"2014-the-year-gor-mahia-faced-adversity-and-triumphed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gormahia.net\/latest\/news\/2014-the-year-gor-mahia-faced-adversity-and-triumphed\/","title":{"rendered":"2014: The year Gor Mahia faced adversity and triumphed"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Gor Mahia players celebrate after winning the 2014 league title<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the annals of Gor Mahia history, the year 2014 will be remembered as the year when Gor Mahia visited the gates of hell but them swiftly ascended back to Heaven. To be sure, there have been other years when the club faced acute difficulties such as in 1974, 1982 and the relegation plagued seasons between 2001 and 2006. In all these cases however Gor Mahia did immediately recover.<\/p>\n

In 2014, Gor Mahia faced a myriad of problems from losing their sponsor (Tuzo) to being hit with a KES 118 million fine from KRA to losing 10 key players, leaving the CECAFA cup with no wins etc.<\/p>\n

In addition, Gor Mahia faced down a number of enemies hell bent on derailing the club. After all this adversity, Gor Mahia still fought bravely and did just enough to retain the league title they won in 2013.<\/p>\n

It is indeed fitting that Gor Mahia beat Ushuru aka Kenya Revenue Authority in the final day of the league since KRA is one of the organizations that have been used by the club’s enemies to destabilize the club.<\/p>\n

Gor Mahia’s 2013 league title was celebrated with pomp and circumstance because the club had gone 18 years without a league title. The 2014 league title will be celebrated due to the steep incline that the club had to climb to reach the summit.<\/p>\n

Let us take a brief look at the 2014 season and the mountains the club had to climb.<\/p>\n

Tuzo withdraws sponsorship<\/h3>\n

There had been rumours suggesting that Tuzo who had been the club’s sponsor for two years was going to end their relationship with the club. Though Gor Mahia offficials claimed to be busy negotiating a renewal of the deal it soon became apparent that no renewal was forthcoming. When Gor Mahia returned from Gabon in February, it finally became official.<\/p>\n

For several months Gor Mahia officials were hard at work negotiating withe various organizations but nothing came to fruition. At one point it seemed that Gor Mahia was set to pen a KES 48 million deal with a local company. The club’s official website even announced that the deal was all but done pending signatures. But at the last minute the deal was cancelled. A local blog now claims that a prominent politician was behind the canceling of the deal ostensibly to settle political scores. Is this true? Maybe. What is true however is that Gor Mahia still managed to stay afloat financially and settle player salaries on time.<\/p>\n

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With no sposnor, Gor Mahia turned to fans for financial assistance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Credit is due to the club’s chairman. It is indeed amazing that other club’s like Sofapaka with far smaller fan bases have sponsors whereas Gor Mahia, the club with the largest fan base does not. But Gor Mahia still managed to rise above all challengers.<\/p>\n

KRA levies a KES 118m fine<\/h3>\n

Hot on the heels of having lost their sponsor, Gor Mahia were hit by yet another challenge when the Kenya Revenue Authority levied a KES 118 million fine. KRA went a step further and demanded that Tuzo remit the remainder of the sponsorship money to them. They froze the club’s account and also demanded that KPL remit the monthly KES 500,000 to KRA and not the club.<\/p>\n

Club Chairman Ambrose Rachier cried foul suggesting that the club was being victimized. \u201cWe are reading sinister motive in the move by KRA. Why just us. I mean there are 16 Premier League clubs, why just single out Gor Mahia? Rachier charged.
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