Gor’s progress a template for Kenyan football success: Since last July, Kerr has only lost two away matches to Tunisia’s Esperance and South Africa’s SuperSport United

Gor Mahia FC's Jaques Tuyisenge and Mckenzie Robbie (left) of Hull City during a friendly match at Kasarani stadium on sunday May 13, 2018. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

It’s reminiscent to the 1987 season when K’Ogalo beat Esperance on the away goal rule in Mandela Cup final.

Gor is changing the face of football in Kenya. Those are not the words of this writer. It was the standout statement made by Gor Mahia FC head coach, Englishman Dylan Kerr when his 10-men held on for a barren draw against Algerian giants USM Alger (USMA) on Wednesday.

The result from the breathless contest played at a drenched Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani left K’Ogalo on course of making the 2018 CAF Confederations Cup quarterfinals from Group D.

It could have been so much better had Gor converted one of the several guilt-edged chances they carved against the seven-time Algerian Ligue 1 title winners who were more relieved than the 10 men to hear the final whistle. 

“I think somebody has placed a curse on us, we should have won. I’m delighted with my players and they are getting better in training. We always try to win so that our fans can go home happy but I cannot understand why we can’t score,” the Englishman rued. 

Whisper it for now but the record 16-time domestic champions are indeed giving the country a template for international football success although it is still too early to establish how far they can go in the second-tier continental competition. 

Thus far, the class of 2018 is yet to lose on home soil pending their SportPesa Premier League (SPL) clash against Sofapaka FC this evening is on course to emulate the legendary side of 1987. 

That was the year Gor swept to the domestic league and cup double before adding crowning it all by lifting the continental CAF Cup Winners Cup (Mandela Cup) for the treble, a feat that remains unmatched in Kenyan club football. 

It would be a staggering achievement if Gor can go on and seal another treble- a success that would eclipse anything ever achieved in local football-but no one can begrudge their supporters the sense of belief. 

The spirited performance came three days after the SportPesa Premier League champions filled the 60,000-seater, Kasarani in what was anything but an international friendly against English side, Hull City FC. 

K’Ogalo held their own against the visiting Tigers in front of the largest crowd witnessed for a local football match since January 12, 1997 when Kenya hosted the mighty Super Eagles in a 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier. 

It was a spectacular occasion that saw even fans of arch rivals AFC Leopards SC troop to Kasarani to be part of the landmark game that crowned Hull’s maiden visit to Kenya. 

Few can recall the last time a Kenyan side dominated a North African team to almost submission with USMA coach, Miloud Hamdi, grateful to escape with a point against a side that played with a man short from the 50th minute. 

Gor should have been ahead in the first half with winger George ‘Blackberry’ Onyango in particular, wasting their best two chances of the half. 

Ivorian striker, Ephrem Guikan who ran his socks off and club record signing, Jacques Tuyisenge, also passed up golden opportunities to score. 

Midfielder Francis Kahata put on an imperious display of link up play as he continues to resurrect his career at Gor following a failed stint in Europe. 

“I’m proud we salvaged a positive result playing with 10-men in a Confed Cup match is not easy. Rayon and Yanga who play USMA next will look at this result and see they are not invincible,” Kerr underscored. 

Since taking charge of the club last July, Kerr has instilled a sense of belief in the team, losing only thrice thus far with two of those loses coming to Tunisian giants Esperance de Tunis and South African outfit, SuperSport United away from home. 

As recently as last month, it took the intervention of Nairobi Governor, Mike Sonko, to bail out the team at the last minute to enable K’Ogalo honour the return leg of their Confed Cup play-off against SuperSport where Kahata’s precious away goal in a 1-2 defeat sent them through. 

Such embarrassing close shaves had become a thing of the past when the club signed a three-year deal with bookmakers SportPesa but the partnership was cut short in January when the firm was forced to suspend involvement in local sport following the imposition of steep Government tax on their operations. 

Therefore, it was a big respite for Gor when their title partners came back on board on April 24 just before they embarked on their group stage assignments in the Confed Cup. 

As the most popular team in the country, one would expect Gor to have partners queuing up at their offices but this is not the case because as a product, Kenyan football has little commercial appeal or so everyone thought. 

But it was a prove last Sunday that the appetite for local football is still alive and an untapped market that can revolutionise the country’s ailing economy exists when more than 60,000 Kenyans trooped to Kasarani. 

Derelict stadiums, low spending power of supporters, isolated incidents of violence, political undertones and being in a country where Government pays little regard for sport have however, combined to limit the growth of Gor into a powerful football brand as equal as any in the world. 

Think Barcelona, LaLiga rivals Real Madrid CF, English titans Manchester United FC or closer home, Egyptian greats Ah Ahly alongside Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs of South Africa. 

For decades, North African sides have piled untold misery on Kenyan football teams at club and national level. As recently as 2014, Esperance blew Gor away 8-2 on aggregate in a CAF Champions League first round clash. 

When the same opponents locked horns again earlier this season, Esperance squeezed past Gor 0-1 employing the dark arts to prevail in two ill-tempered games, the return in Tunisia gaining notoriety as the Black and Gold knocked out the Kenyans. 

USMA came to town no doubt expecting to roll over the SPL giants, buoyed by their 4-0 demolition of Yanga in their opening Group D clash but in the end, their head coach, Hamdi, hailed K’Ogalo as he delighted with the point gained.

“This is a good result from a difficult situation. We played a good team with good players,” Hamdi confessed.

K’Ogalo’s performance was an echo to the past, specifically the 1987 season when they beat Esperance on the away goal rule in the final of the Cup Winners Cup (Mandela Cup) to seal the domestic league, cup and continental trophy treble. 

At the time, Kenyan football had reached a peak, with the country featuring in three Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals in a row, 1988, 1990 and 1992. 

The co-relation between club and national team football around the world means Gor’s success can be the Launchpad for Harambee Stars to realise their dreams of returning to the AFCON finals for the first time since 2004 or make the 2022 FIFA World Cup in what would be a maiden appearance. 

“We played good football and it is my hope that Stars head coach (Sebastian) Migne was here to see what Kenyan teams are capable of. 

“Our success would mean nothing if the country does not follow suit,” the retired Malta-born English defender Kerr outlined.