Gor Mahia Chairman Ambrose Rachier. PHOTO/COURTESY.
Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier has attributed the team’s early exit from the CAF Champions League to the lack of competitiveness in the Kenyan Premier League.
Speaking on the issue after their 6-0 aggregate loss to Egypt’s Al Ahly in the preliminary round, Rachier expressed concern over the declining standards of local football.
K’Ogalo’s continental campaign came to an end after they suffered a heavy defeat to Al Ahly, marking yet another premature elimination for a Kenyan team. Earlier, Kenya Police also bowed out at the same stage of the CAF Confederation Cup after a 3-1 loss to Zamalek, another Egyptian giant.
Rachier believes that Kenyan clubs will continue to struggle in continental competitions as long as the quality of the local league remains subpar.
“The federation (FKF) is running a league that lacks quality. You win the league, but you don’t get the competition needed to match continental football,” Rachier told Passion Sports.
“Instead of focusing on improving the standards of the league, they’re busy pursuing vendettas against clubs.”
He expressed hope that the upcoming December elections would bring in new leadership capable of enhancing the league’s standards, potentially even reviving the Kenyan Premier League Limited management model.
Read more: FKF Presidential Aspirant Raises Doubts On Elections Transparency
Rachier also raised concerns over the state of Kenya’s sporting facilities, calling them inadequate for professional football, and urged community clubs to rethink their governance structures to attract the kind of talent needed to compete on the African stage.
“The government should do something about this [facilities]. Machakos Stadium, for example, is like a school playing ground. We cannot develop sports in such conditions,” added Rachier, while advocating for a corporate governance model to draw more external investment into clubs.
“This is a discussion we’re currently having. In our agenda for the Annual General Meeting, we proposed turning the club into a Limited Liability Company, but unfortunately someone went to court to stop the process.”
Gor Mahia will now shift their focus back to their KPL match, with their first fixture set for Saturday against Mathare United.
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