Is Karim Nizigiyimana so important to Kenyan Champions Gor Mahia?
Just a week after being shown the exit door, Nizigiyimana is again on Gor Mahia’s radar with the club looking for ways to have him back.
The Burundian defender was released by the Kenyan champions despite his contract coming to an end in January. It is now understood that Gor have opened fresh negotiations over the same so as to keep the player for another season.
Nizigiyimana, who was already engaging Sofapaka for a possible transfer before it shuts down, trained with Gor Mahia on Monday at the Camp Toyoyo but Gor Mahia CEO Omondi Aduda was quick to reveal that the defender was just training to keep fit.
“Karim is just training with us to keep fit. There is nothing beyond there. He wants to keep fit and we have given him the chance to train with us,” he said.
It has now emerged that Gor Mahia is keen to keep the player and are in the process of releasing one foreigner, albeit on loan, to give room for his (Karim) return.
K’Ogalo already has five foreign players – Ephrem Guikan (Ivory Coast), Francis Mustapha (Burundi), Erisa Ssekisambu, Shafik Batambuze (Uganda) and Jacques Tuyisenge (Rwanda).
For the club to meet the required foreign quota rule by KPL of five per any given season, it means one player will have to be sacrificed.
Gor Mahia is now considering a loan deal for Guikan, a safe way to cover for the return of the left back.
Gor Mahia already confirmed the appointment of coach Hassan Oktay as head coach on a two year deal.
The news of the new head coach were confirmed to the official Gor Mahia website by the club’s chairman Ambrose Rachier.
“We have appointed Hassan Oktay to be the head coach of the team and that means he will replace Dylan Kerr and will be assisted by Zedekiah Otieno. The coach has signed a two year contract which will be renewable,” the chairman stated.
Oktay has been with the team for the last one week and is expected to lead K’Ogalo back to winning ways after the team lost its opening league match against Bandari at the Mbaraki Stadium.