By Fredrick Nadulli,

Kenya champion club Gor Mahia is undergoing a torrid patch. From losing key players to letting go of their title winning coach to facing stiffer opposition on the local scene, and fresh from being chucked  overboard from continental football, the club cannot wish any more for this rough phase to slither away.

Amid all this, there is reprieve in the form of shirt sponsors, after long periods of living from hand to mouth. Corporates are falling over themselves to have a piece of the team in green.

PARTNERS KNOCKING

This club went an entire league season unbeaten, without a shirt sponsor or partner to walk it through turbulent times, but still went on to sweep all before it on the way to wrapping up an unprecedented third title on the trot.

During these dark days where survival was their only option, it is their ever faithful fanatics aptly dubbed the ‘Green Army’ that kept the club’s head above the waters, in a mobile money campaign dubbed “Together we can”.

Those days are in the past now, as bet company SportPesa assumed the role of title sponsors, while talks are still ongoing to rope in another partner in the form of a Beer company.

The windfall could not have come at a better time for the giants. But in the wake of these new developments, forces from inside and outside the club are now agitating for elections, a thing that was unheard of when Gor Mahia was wallowing  in poverty and self-sustenance.

Which begs the question; where were these busybodies when the club needed a much needed hand here and there to sustain its huge wage bill and other administrative costs needed to run a team.

Suddenly people have emerged from their cocoons with clarion calls for polls, announcing to all and sundry how well suited they are to run a club of the caliber of Gor Mahia. It is simply dishonesty that stinks to high heavens.

BIDE THEIR TIME

While it may be their democratic right as members of the club to call for polls, the timing raises eyebrows and smirks of hypocrisy. They cannot purport to be the club’s saviors at this point in time.

Even a blind man can clearly see that the windfall is what drives this agitation for elections. Everyone is itching to dip their fingers into the cookie jar.

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com