This archive report was first published on 19 August 2019.
Published on August 19, 2019, Gor Mahia's Champions League campaign is set to receive a significant boost if they can overcome Burundian side Aigle Noir in their return match at Kasarani next Sunday.
The Kenyan Premier League giants have been handed a reprieve by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which has allowed strikers Francis Afriyie and Gislein Yikpe to feature in the subsequent CAF matches after being initially sidelined due to late registrations.
According to Gor Mahia's club secretary general Ronald Ngala, the two strikers may be allowed to play after the Sunday match ahead of them, which would be a significant boost to the team.
Ngala explained, 'According to the latest communication we have received from CAF, the two strikers may be allowed to play after the Sunday match ahead of us. This will be a big boost to us.'
The two strikers replaced Rwandan Jacques Tuyisenge and Burundian Francis Mustapha, who did not play against Aigle Noir in the first leg preliminary tie that ended in a barren draw.
Ngala attributed the scenario to late registration and CAF's decision to loosen the string, giving the players the nod to play should the team go past their Burundian opponents.
Meanwhile, Gor Mahia's next probable opponents USM Alger could pull out due to financial constraints, paving the way for Gor to cruise to the first round, if only they manage to edge out Aigle Noir.
Ngala expressed confidence in the team's ability to overcome the Burundians, saying, 'We are ready for the Burundians and our plans started yesterday with our first trophy of the season, we are building on the players dedication and determination to go places this season.'
The team's introduction of the two little-known strikers in the local scene could be a big challenge to KPL clubs, with Bandari manager Bernard Mwalala admitting that the current Gor Mahia squad is a riddle, making it difficult to plan against them.
