To pay the players or repair K’Ogalo’s junk bus? Gor Mahia factions can’t agree
Simmering rivalry between two camps of Gor Mahia supporters has come to the fore over who should support players financially during this time that the Kenyan Premier League has been suspended indefinitely.
The league was suspended in March due to coronavirus pandemic which has so far claimed eight lives in the country.
A fans’ initiative formed in February known as Augmentin to take care of players allowances is now at loggerhead with Gor Mahia branches which has prioritised collections from members so as to cater for the repair of K’Ogalo’s old grounded bus.
As the two camps engage in a heated debate in social media platforms, Gor Mahia players continue to suffer and are waiting to see if they will receive their salaries by Thursday as the management promised.
The players were paid Sh3,000 for the month of March and will be yearning to see if the amount shall have increased by then.
Augmentin official Sam Muga told Nairobi News that they have been reluctant to release about Sh280,000 to the players after the office promised them that the issue will be resolved.
“Augmentin was formed to cater for players allowances and the work of paying players is for the office. However, we have been reluctant to pay any money because the office told us they are waiting for some money to pay players. If the situation gets dire then we would see what to do afterwards,” said Muga.
PLAYERS’ SALARIES
On the other hand, the branches, which had earlier wanted Augmentin to pay salaries for the Gor Mahia Youth team, is now focused on raising money to repair the grounded bus.
In a document seen by Nairobi News, 19 Gor Mahia branches have collected Sh122,000, an amount they insist must be used to repair the bus.
This is a sharp contrast since before the formation of Augmentin the branches were the supportive arm of the team apart from the office.
However, they were blamed for participating in funeral contributions with zeal instead of focusing on the team which is the unifying factor and the reason for their formation.
“We have become a laughing stock ever since AFC Leopards bought a new bus. As branches we have decided to come together to repair our bus so that players can use it once the league resumes,” said an official who didn’t want to be named because of the animosity between the two camps.
In February, a section of Gor Mahia officials and branches opposed the formation of Augmentin saying it was a plot by some individuals scheming to take over the community club and run it like a corporate company.