Last Sunday, Pyramids FC of Egypt, coached by legendary South African manager Rulani Mokwena, came calling.
They had a date with Gor Mahia FC in the first round of 2026 CAF Champions League at Nyayo Stadium. In his pre-match interview, Mokwena gave the impression that he knew Gor Mahia players very well. When the match got underway, it was obvious that the Egyptians had done their homework with much keen.
Gor Mahia were down by two goals by the end of the first half.
Why do Kenyan teams struggle against Egyptian clubs? Kenyans clubs have complained that CAF has the habit of drawing our clubs against Egyptian clubs to give these clubs an easy passage to the next round. It has become like Kenyan clubs throw in the towel mentally the moment CAF fixtures come out, and they land an Egyptian club on the cards.
In the past, it was Zamalek SC, Al Ahly SC, and Ismaily SC, however, other Egyptian clubs like ENPPI, Cairo FC and now Pyramids FC have come in and continued with the dominance.
We need a strategic plan to stop this continued humiliation. We cannot allow this to go on; something needs to be done, even as Gor Mahia travel to Egypt next week to try and overturn the two-goal deficit.
Even as they try to, it should not be forgotten that no Kenyan club has ever defeated an Egyptian club on their home soil.
Gor Mahia played their first ever CAF Championship in the 1969 Africans Champions Cup. They played Sudanese side Burri SC of Khartoum in the first round and eliminated them, setting up a quarter-final tie against Ismaily SC of Egypt.
K'Ogalo lost the first leg in Egypt, before drawing in the return leg at City Stadium. Thus began the dominance of Egyptian clubs. AFC Leopards had played in the 1968 edition and were eliminated in the semi-finals by Togolese club, Etoile Filante du Togo.
Ismaily would eliminate Kenya Breweries FC in the African Champions Cup in 1973. In 1974, Egyptian side Ghazl El Mahalla eliminated Abaluhya FC 4-1 over the two legs. They drew one-all in Nairobi. In 1987, Al Ahly of Egypt eliminated AFC Leopards in the second round by a 7-2 aggregate despite Leopards’ winning the return leg at Bukhungu Stadium. Gor Mahia put down a plan in 1984 when they were drawn against Zamalek SC in the Second Round of the Champions Cup.
Gor Mahia travelled to Egypt for the first leg. What people know is the abandonment of the match in the first half. Gor Mahia outplayed the hosts in every department; what they failed to do was score. Abbas Magongo fouled an opponent outside the box and the referee awarded a penalty to Zamalek. After the penalty was scored, the referee turned and awarded Magongo a red card. Gor Mahia players protested and a physical brawl ensued. The match was abandoned and Gor Mahia FC, including several players and coach Len Julians, were suspended for two years.
Gor was eliminated but Zamalek SC agreed that Gor Mahia were a better team; K’Ogalo earned their respect. What people don’t know is the work the Kenyan ambassador to Egypt and Gor Mahia fan Adala Otuko put in.
Gor Mahia carried their own food to Egypt. They even went there with their own chef and managed every bit of their itinerary with the help of the Kenyan embassy in Cairo.
This is not a Kenyan problem but an East African disaster. Ugandan and Tanzanian clubs have also struggled against Egyptian clubs in two-legged ties, especially when playing away.
Yanga SC have never won a match against an Egyptian club in Cairo. Their 2-0 CAFCL loss in January against Al Ahly was the fifth time they were playing them in Egypt. They have lost all their away matches. However, they have stood their ground at home, even winning their March 2014 tie at home.
Simba SC, in 2003, then coached by Kenyan goalkeeping legend James Siang’a, eliminated Zamalek SC in the CAF Champions League second leg after winning 1-0 in Cairo. The result took the tie to penalties as they had lost by a similar margin at home. Simba won the ensuing penalty shootout.
In the 2011 CAF Confederation Cup, Sofapaka FC became the first club to eliminate an Egyptian club from a CAF championship. They defeated Ismaily SC by a 4-2 aggregate after going down 2-0 in Cairo.
They scored four goals at Nyayo Stadium under the tutelage of Ezekiel Akhwana. In the 2013 Confederation Cup, Gor was drawn against ENPPI SC of Egypt in the first round. The Egyptians won 3-0 in Cairo and then opted to play to a goalless draw in Nairobi.
In February 2019, Gor Mahia defeated Egyptian giants Zamalek 4-2 at Nyayo Stadium. It was sweet revenge for the 1984 debacle.
But all in all, it can be done. It is painful that we have become the whipping boys of Egyptian clubs for decades. It needs a strategy and good funding. They beat us in funding and structures. Pyramids FC pay Rulani Mokwena and his technical staff about Sh20 million per month. That is why he could afford to analyse all Gor Mahia players beforehand. He could have even sent a scout to check them out physically. No Kenyan club can currently afford that.
Then the structures. Last Sunday, Pyramids FC players rarely misplaced a pass. They knew where to place the ball for each other, and their teammate would comfortably control it. Gor Mahia players are a tad lower technically. This means that we must train our players in the basics of football from an early age.
