Storm brewing at Gor Mahia over Brazilian striker Da Silva
Sharp differences have emerged between Gor Mahia’s executive committee and club head coach Jose Ferreira ‘Ze Maria’ over newly signed Brazilian striker Thiago da Silva.
Whereas the club leadership is unimpressed with the new signing’s performance and wants him sent packing, the Brazil coach is calling for patience with his compatriot.
Nairobi News has established that the coming of Da Silva to the country had been necessitated by Ze Maria’s request to have a quality striker to augment lead striker Jacques Tuyisenge or have one who could step up in the event that Tuyisenge got injured.
But the club’s leadership is already viewing the Brazilian striker as a flop and have gone ahead to re-sign Rwanda marksman, Meddie Kagere, who left the club at the end of last season.
Kagere, who trained with the team on Wednesday at Camp Toyoyo, has been offered an 18-month deal with a Sh1.5 million sign-on fee and a monthly salary of Sh125,000.
Nairobi News can also authoritatively reveal that the coach and the club’s leadership held a meeting on Tuesday in Nairobi where the matter was discussed but neither party ceded ground.
Those present at the meeting were club chairman Ambrose Rachier, senior vice-chairman Francis Wasuna, acting- secretary general Ronald Ngala, club assistant treasurer Gerphas Okuku and Ze Maria.
KICKED OUT
Sources, who requested anonymity, said that Rachier asked Ze Maria to give Kagere a chance as the coach, in his own admission, had stated that Da Silva was not at his best and needed time to regain his form.
But the coach reportedly argued that the office had promised to give him a free hand in transfers.
This position was however rejected by the club leadership saying that could not cater for the expense of a surplus player.
“The coach was told to give Kagere a chance and in the event he was not satisfied with his input, then he would have his say in December when the transfer window opens,” the source said.
Contacted, Rachier said: “The position we have taken all through is that it’s the coach’s responsibility to sign, and so whoever is going to decide is him. We are however unlikely to sign both players. It’s also not true that Thiago is on his way to Brazil. He’s still here undergoing trials just like Kagere.”
Da Silva’s impending return to Brazil evokes the memories of January 2013, when then club head coach Zdravko Logarusic kicked out another Brazilian, Giovani Rodriguez Bissolli, after just a day in trials.
The outspoken Logarusic then argued that K’Ogalo was not a training ground and he could only sign players who were up to the task.
