Just where is Gor Mahia’s physical trophy cabinet?

Gor Mahia fans

Many years ago, I was almost run out of town by foot soldiers of the Green Army who felt that I was disrespectful towards them and did not recognise that they are very passionate and loyal and without their support, there can virtually be no football in Kenya.

By then, Gor Mahia, like many local clubs, did not have shirt sponsors, probably because they all lacked marketing teams that could “sell” their clubs to corporate bodies or the latter did not see sense in having their brand (names) on jerseys of clubs which did not show a lot of promise.

Gor Mahia players used to don Adidas kit; its supplier of the kit must have been doing brisk business because almost all Gor Mahia fans had the “replica” kits — and they were very happy.

Of course, Gor Mahia fans are always happy, and you cannot blame then for that because their club is always winning, and barring a miracle, will win the Kenyan Premier League trophy this season, with several rounds of matches to spare because they are way ahead of the others.

Whether they have a shirt sponsor or not, the fans, players and management always give their all, and at the end of the season, they have something to show for their troubles, which includes having to deal with vitriol from their enemies who think that they are not a peaceful lot.

And so, those many years ago, after several seasons without a shirt sponsor, some milk brand came along, and Gor Mahia got a name on their jerseys, and for a moment, the fans were an excited lot.

But the excitement turned into some sort of remorse when it emerged that the jerseys with the sponsor’s name were costlier than the plain Adidas kits, at least according to the fans, who decided to shun them.

I found their complaints odd and wrote as much, and implied that the jerseys were not expensive, but it is the fans who were cheap. That is why I was almost trampled upon by the Green Army’s foot soldiers.

As I have already pointed out, Gor Mahia, which already has the highest number of local league titles, will add this year’s KPL trophy to their cabinet, and fans will be very happy.

But the big question is: Where in the world is this cabinet which is overflowing with glittering silverware? Isn’t it time a club of Gor’s stature owned some form of a physical structure where it can proudly display all the silverware they have won over the years and which even local and international football fans and tourists can pay to visit and thus add more money to the club’s coffers?

The writer is an editor with The Standard, Weekend Editions.