How Pamzo returned to haunt Gor
The stone which the builders rejected became the cornerstone as Gor Mahia suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League debutants Kenya Police at the weekend.
Worse still was that Gor was handed the defeat at their temporary fortress at Moi Stadium in Kisumu.
Gor has pitched a camp in Kisumu after being banned by Football Kenya Federation (FKF) caretaker committee from using either Nyayo Stadium or Kasarani following the skirmishes that were perpetrated by their fans during their ill-fated fixture against Vihiga Bullets at the latter venue on February 12.
Former Gor men including Musa Mohammed, Cliffton Miheso, Haroun Shakava and lately the duo of attack-oriented midfielder Francis Kahata and experienced coach Sammy “Pamzo” Omollo have all decamped to Police.
These were the characters who showed just what the Green Army is missing during K’ogalo’s humiliating defeat at the hands of Police under the sweltering heat of Kisumu on Sunday.
Kahata even had the audacity of turning his former employers’ defence inside out to net the opener before Clinton Kinanga, who is said to have attracted the eyes of national team scouts, put the issue beyond doubt with the second strike.
After leaving Simba of Tanzania upon the expiry of his contract, Kahata was lured by Gor after which he asked for Sh 10 million sign-on fees which the club said it could not afford and Police cashed in on the opportunity to bring him on board.
According to a senior Gor official, the amount was enough to help the club sign seven players and they were not ready to splash the cash on one signing.
“If you have Ksh10 million and you want to use it to sign seven players but one player wants the whole amount as his sign-on fee, is that going to be possible,?” posed the official.
Following the result, Gor who is winless in two consecutive matches remains in the fifth position with 35 points from 21 matches.
Another weekend shocker came in the form of table-toppers Kakamega Homeboyz’s failure to consolidate their lead following a 2-1 defeat by Bandari in Mombasa.
Before the misfortune, Abana Abeingo, as Homeboyz are colloquially known, were enjoying a purple patch with pundits least expecting them to slip up any time soon.
The defeat by Homeboyz came as a blessing in disguise for second-placed Tusker who are their closest title challengers and with whom they are separated by six points.
But if Homeboyz and Tusker think they are the red-hot title hopefuls, they should better be wary of third-placed Nairobi City Stars who returned to winning ways by eclipsing relegation-haunted Vihiga Bullets 2-1.
Elsewhere, Sofapaka and AFC Leopards, who lie in the 11th and 12 positions respectively, re-ignited their chances of winding up in respectable positions after settling for draws in their assignments.
Pride of place also goes to Nzoia Sugar who are slowly drifting away from the relegation zone. Nzoia beat Posta Rangers 1-0 on Sunday.
