A former leading football club in the East African region, Gor Mahia FC, has sacked its coach on the pitch, citing poor performance.
Gor Mahia, which won the 1987 Africa Cup Winners Cup and is the East and Central Africa Club and Kenya national champion, fired coach Sammy Omollo, blaming him for the club’s lack lustre run in the Kenya Premier League.
Omollo, a former national team defender, was not just sacked, he was fired at the City Stadium, Nairobi, late Saturday after the team suffered a 1-0 Premier League defeat by Green Berets.
The going has been relatively rough for the mid-table Gor in the 16-team league.
Angry fans moved to the touchline the moment Berets, a paramilitary police side, scored the winner and demanded Omollo’s sacking.
And apparently picking the cue from the fans, Gor Mahia officials, led by secretary-general Andrew Sule, verbally fired Omollo on the spot.
“We can’t stomach this anymore.The pressure was too much. He was almost lynched by our fans and we saved him by assuring our fans that we have relieved him of his duties. From today, he ceases being the coach,” the secretary told the press.
He said the club took the bold move to save it from further humiliation and named team manager Maurice Ole Tunda acting coach.
The secretary blamed Saturday’s defeat on ‘poor substitution’ by the coach.
But a fire-spitting Omollo blamed the club’s woes on fans who dictate to the technical and club officials.
“Kenyan football is going to the dogs, if we will continue allowing fans to dictate terms,” said Omollo, adding that in some instances fans had demanded to know why certain players were benched or not fielded.
Omollo, a former defender of the senior national team, Harambee Stars, and Kenya Breweries (now Tusker FC), slammed Gor officials for succumbing to crowd demands.
“Whoever takes over from me will be in deep trouble because fans are dictating terms,” he charged.
