This archive report was first published on 29 July 2019.
On July 25, 2019, Gor Mahia, the reigning Kenyan Premier League champions, were set to face Sudanese club Al Hilal in an international friendly in Nairobi. However, the Sudanese giants pulled out at the last minute, citing their need to camp in Egypt ahead of their Caf Champions League preliminary round match against Rwanda's Rayon Sports.
Gor Mahia CEO Lordvick Aduda confirmed the cancellation, stating that the team would now have to look elsewhere for a quality friendly to gauge their performance. The cancellation comes as a blow to Gor Mahia coach Hassan Oktay, who is looking to guide the team to the lucrative group stage of Africa's premier club competition this season.
Despite narrowly missing out on the group stage last year, Gor Mahia is determined to make it to the next round. The aggregate winner of the preliminary round will meet either USM Algers of Algeria or Niger's Sonidep in the second round.
