This archive report was first published on 17 November 2021.
Published on November 17, 2021, Gor Mahia is facing a financial crisis ahead of their Caf Confederation Cup matches. The club is set to hold a fundraiser to raise Sh15 million to cover the cost of competing in the upcoming second round two-leg tie against As Otoho d'Oyo of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The fundraiser, which will be held at Serena Hotel on Thursday, will be graced by the club patron, with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga as the chief guest. The event will kick off at 4:30pm, and uninvited club fans and well-wishers have been asked to send their contributions via the paybill number 350100.
Gor Mahia is set to travel to the DRC for the first leg encounter on November 28, with the return leg fixture slated for December 5. However, the club is unsure if they will be able to host the second leg at the Nyayo National Stadium, as it has been banned from hosting international matches by Caf.
According to club sporting director Lordvick Aduda, the club had written to the now disbanded Football Kenya Federation (FKF) on November 4 to persuade Caf to extend temporary approval of Nyayo National Stadium. However, due to the current development in Kenyan football, which saw the government disband FKF and the arrest of its embattled President Nick Mwendwa, the club is unsure if they will get a positive feedback.
As a result, the club has written to the Tanzanian Football Federation (TFF) requesting to be allowed to use the 60,000-seater Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on December 5. The club has also written to the Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed requesting for a financial bail out through the Sports Fund, but they are yet to receive any feedback.
"We call on our fans to step in and help us achieve the our Sh15 million target. Since every fan can't be at Serena, the money we get from our pay bill will greatly help us to achieve our target and honour the two matches," Lordvick Aduda said.
He added that the money realised from the fundraiser will enable the club to honour its fixtures in the DRC and in Dar es Salaam, as the club currently doesn't have money to meet these huge costs.
