Broke Gor Mahia stranded for APR clash, FKF ready to buy them tickets

BetOdds CAF Champions League APR v Gor Mahia Gor Mahia APR

The Kenyan champions are yet to secure travel ticket for their trip to Kigali for the first leg match on Saturday

Gor Mahia are stranded in Nairobi and could miss their trip to Kigali to face APR in the preliminary match of the Caf Champions League on Saturday.

Suspended club official Sam Ochola has confirmed in a signed statement the club is broke and that players did not turn out for training on Wednesday.

“Gor Mahia is broke! We want to gather any available monetary support we can to reduce our gapping operational costs, even if there are no kickbacks to us, individuals - it is for the sake of the club,” Ochola wrote in the statement obtained by Goal.

“FKF was to disburse Sh3million immediately to enable Gor Mahia to travel to Rwanda, a mandatory Covid-19 test was also to be carried out today [Wednesday] at 3 pm but players are on strike as we speak.”

Goal can now reveal the team’s plans to travel to Rwanda on Wednesday have hit a snag because they are yet to purchase tickets and test players and officials for Covid-19,

Another source who did not want to be named has told Goal the team can only travel on Friday as there are no flights to Rwanda on Thursday.

“I am very disappointed and cannot call this my club, the club I love because I fear that the club standards are going down,” said the source.

“The players have not trained today [Wednesday] because they are asking for money, they have not been paid and also even the mandatory test for Covid-19 for the travelling party has not been conducted, I fear APR will beat us.”

When reached for comment, FKF, CEO Barry Otieno told Goal they are ready to help the clubs secure tickets and travel for the first match in Kigali, but only if they write to them formally.

“We are ready to help them [but using sponsors money], and that will only be possible if they write to us requesting for the same [money for tickets] formally, we had already given them the offer and are waiting for their feedback,” Otieno told Goal.

“As a federation, we have money that we can give them, but it is from the sponsors, they can get it if they make a formal request to FKF, we can secure them travel tickets.

“The proposal has already been given to them, it is them to decide.”

The last time Gor Mahia played against APR was in 2008 during the Confederation Cup where the army side beat K'Ogalo 6-0 on aggregate.

2020-11-25 18:00:04