Gor Mahia, Sofapaka await Caf draw
Gor Mahia and Sofapafa will on Monday morning know their in next year’s continental assignments, when the draws for both Africa Champions League and Confederation Cup are conducted at the Confederation of African Football (Caf) headquarters in Cairo.
But the two sides chances of featuring in these assignments, let alone progressing to the money spinning stages, remain highly unlikely owing to well publicized financial challenges.
In what could be described as a reflection of the current state of the game, the two clubs say they have no idea of where to get the Sh 5 million required to negotiate a single round of this competitions. Efforts to request support from the Government have so far not bore any fruits.
HUGE DEBTS
“The Government should atleast provide us with return air tickets to help us offset the huge debts we are likely to incur. This is because, as I keep on saying, we are representing the country in these competitions. Besides, other Governments do assist their teams,” Sofapaka President Elly Kalekwa said.
Sofapaka are making a return to the continental scene since 2011, when the club made history by becoming the first Kenyan club to eliminate an Egyptian club in a competitive tournament.
Both sides preparedness for these assignments is also under question, as neither team has significantly bolstered their squads with acquisitions in the ongoing transfer period.
Gor Mahia is worse off at this point, as the club is yet to replace two dependable players Dan Sserunkuma and Geoffrey “Baba” Kizito, who have left in the last few weeks.
K’Ogalo defeated Gabon’s US Bitam in the preliminary phase of the competition last season, before suffering an 8-2 aggregate loss to Tunisia’s Esperance in the first round.
Gor Mahia who are featuring at this level for the fourth successive season, could face a host of big name teams in the African Champions League including holders Entente Setif (Algeria), APR (Rwanda), Dynamos (Zimbabwe), USM (Algeria), El Merreikh (Sudan), Enyimba (Nigeria) and Raja Casblanca (Morocco).
Sofapaka in the meantime, is in line to face fellow domestic cup holders in the Confederations Cup such as Revenue Authority (Uganda), Kamboi Eagles (Senegal), Benfica Luanda (Angola), Al Ittihad (Liberia), Al Khartoum (Sudan) and Banjul United (Gambia).