Gor must turn into a company now or perish

What you need to know:

  • Should we fail to do that, we may find ourselves living in the shadows of a club like Wazito that is today preparing to build its own stadium
  • Time for change is now Gor Mahia.

Two of the most popular clubs in Africa — Esperance of Tunisia and St George of Ethiopia made great marks last week.

While Esperance marked its centenary celebrations as one of the most successful clubs in Africa, St George held its Annual General Meeting in Addis Ababa with the main agenda being to change the club’s structure to allow sale of shares to fans and strategic investors.

Esperance, the club we beat in 1987 to win the Africa Cup Winners Cup title stands out as the most organised club in Africa, almost challenging European clubs in terms of investment.

It is worth noting that even with its rich history, Gor Mahia won its first continental title before the Tunisian and African giants, who have now won three Africa Champions League titles.

St George on the other hand cannot match the success of Gor Mahia on the continent and in the region yet when you look at the financial and organisational status of these two clubs, we come nowhere close to them.

I will always never shy away from sending a challenge to Gor Mahia management that for us to remain afloat and challenge the big guns in the continent, we must change our way of management.

Locally, we are a giant club but only on the pitch where we are the most successful football club in the country and the region. On the terraces we are “Sirkal”, we boss every team because of our huge following, but what about our accounts? What about our management structure?

We celebrated our silver jubilee last year, but there was nothing to write home about save for the titles we have won

In Gor Mahia, we literally beg for everything. We beg to honour our international matches away; we beg to purchase our club bus; we beg to house a coach; we beg, beg and beg yet we have the capacity to turn our club into a financially viable institution.

Years ago, one Leslie Okudo made a suggestion to turn the club into a limited company and float shares at the stocks exchange market, the idea was shut down. Club fans said Okudo wanted to sell the club to outsiders.

Today, almost two decades later, we are regretting not taking up Okudo on his idea. This is the same thing St George of Ethiopia is doing.

I am not a messenger of doom, but for sure if we do not change the way we are running the club, in another 10 or so years we may not be in existence or may be languishing in the lower leagues just like Cameroon club Canon Yaoundé who hammered us senseless in 1979 to win the Africa Cup Winners Cup yet today they cannot afford basics like local transportation in Yaoundé.

Gor Mahia needs to turn itself into a limited company then borrow St George’s blue print and float shares to potential investors.

That way, we will remain relevant in Kenyan and African football.

Should we fail to do that, we may find ourselves living in the shadows of a club like Wazito that is today preparing to build its own stadium

Time for change is now Gor Mahia.