The record champions were among the eight teams invited for the tournament and were to use it as part of their preparations for the new Kenyan season set to kick off on August 24th and their return to the CAF Champions League action.
However, the trip failed to materialise after their players staged a go-slow demanding for a share of the Ksh5million won after securing the FKF Premier League title at the end of last season and money received from their participation in the recent CECAFA Kagame Cup tournament in Tanzania.
Gor Mahia were crowned Kenyan champions for the second successive season after amassing 73 points. The unrest forced the club to cancel the trip as they were not able to raise a full squad for the tournament.
K’Ogalo Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Raymond Oruo confirmed the cancellation: “For now the trip stands cancelled,“ Oruo told Flashscore.
Another K’Ogalo official, who did not want to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, told Flashcore: “It is the true picture, the trip has been called off, and we will not travel because as of today (Wednesday, July 31st), we are yet to receive tickets for the trip from the organisers.
“Remember the go-slow means we don’t have a fit squad to take to Nigeria because players have not been training, and maybe the organisers have been following the happenings (players' decision not to train), and they may have been forced to do away with Gor Mahia because the players' decision was not painting a good picture.”
Apart from Gor Mahia, other teams invited for the tournament set for Enugu include Brazilian giants Esporte Clube Vitoria, Sierra Leone’s FC Kallon, and Cotton FC from the Republic of Benin, while Nigeria, the host of the event, will be represented by the quartet of Enugu Rangers, Aba Elephants’ Enyimba, Kano Pillars, and Ogun State-based Remo Stars.
K’Ogalo had been scheduled to kick off their campaign against the Brazilian heavyweights on August 2nd, in Enugu and face Remo Stars of Ogun State on August 4th, before winding up their preliminary group fixtures with a clash against Kano Pillars on August 6th.
Gor Mahia players facing disciplinary action
Following their action to skip training, Gor Mahia issued a statement warning the players to resume training immediately or else they face dire consequences for absconding duty.
In a statement from the club obtained by Flashscore, the Kenyan champions further asked the players to explain their conduct in writing in the next 48 hours. “Noted under the terms of your contract with the club, you are under the obligation to abide by the club rules and regulations, including taking and adhering to instructions from the team manager in matters relating to administrative issues,” read part of the statement.
“You are equally under the obligation to maintain high level of discipline both on the pitch and off the pitch inclusive during training. In this respect, you are in violation of the club’s values, hence a fundamental breach of your contract with the club.
“You are hereby required to show cause, in writing within 48 hours of the date of this letter why disciplinary action should not be taken against you for being in violation of Clause 6 of your contract with the club and Article 14 of FIFA’s Regulations of the Status and Transfer of the players.”
The club notified the players that they would not receive their portion of salary for the days they had absconded duty. “As a consequence, be notified that the club will withhold the portion of your monthly salary, allowance, and all pecuniary benefits accruable over the period and/or dates in which you have been and continue to be absent.
“Failure to submit an explanation or response by the stipulated date, the club will proceed to take a decision without further reference to you.”
Gor Mahia not obligated to pay prize money
In another separate statement dubbed the 'State of Gor Mahia', Chairman Ambrose Rachier blamed the delay by tournament organisers to send travel tickets as the reason the trip had aborted.
“The team was scheduled to fly out on Tuesday; however, the organisers of the tournament did not send air tickets and are yet to do so,” Rachier said as quoted by the club’s official website. “Whether they developed cold feet due to the players’ action to abscond duty, we can't tell. They're yet to communicate officially.”
On what triggered the unrest within the squad, Rachier explained: “This is something we've always done since I was elected as the chairman of the club, despite the fact that we're not obligated to do so as per the terms of their contracts. Each time we win the league, except for last season when there was no prize money, we've always shared a part of the money with the players and technical bench, and we were planning to do so this season.”
Rachier added: “I was even surprised that, despite the fact they didn't perform well at the tournament, the players were demanding the CECAFA bonus.”
The Nigeria tournament could have given Brazilian coach Leonardo Martins Neiva a good opportunity to gauge the readiness of his players after a disappointing outing in the Kagame Cup where they failed to go past the group stage.
Gor Mahia endured a frustrating time in Tanzania, finishing their Group B matches without a win. They lost their opener 1-0 against guest team and eventual winners Red Arrows of Zambia, drew 1-1 against ASAS Djibouti Telecom and lost 2-0 against Al Hilal of Sudan to exit the regional tournament, they have previously won three times, at the group stage.
