The KPL awards held on Thursday evening have been termed as ridiculous and biased by a section of football lovers and coaches.
Despite winning last season’s Premier League with Six matches to spare, Kenyan Champions Gor Mahia only walked away with two awards. Kogallo was crowned as fair play team of the Year as it’s head coach Dylian Kerr crowned as coach of the Year.
The night was dominated by Kariobangi Sharks’ Erick Kapaito who won three top awards. They are, Most Valuable Player, Golden Boot and the Young Player of the year.
Gor Mahia assistant coach Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno has now weighed in on the ongoing debate surrounding the awards. He has termed as ‘ridiculous’ the 2018 Kenyan Premier League awards held on Thursday.
Otieno, who is currently in charge of the team’s training ahead of Gor Mahia’s friendly against Everton in November, joined a section of Kenyan fans, who termed the awards as ‘a sham’, claiming that Gor Mahia were ‘robbed’.
“As a team, we didn’t take it well. The gala awards should award performance, and as Gor Mahia, we fought well and the sad thing is that this is the second time this is happening.
“Last season we also won the league with three matches to go but only our team manager was feted. It is not fair. When someone tells you that there is a threshold players have to play more than 24 matches, that is ridiculous.
“Our players have players more than 30 matches. It is only that we were playing continental games and when you play internationally, we represent KPL. So I don’t a reason why somebody can say we didn’t play enough matches.
“People should be awarded based on how he has helped his team and how he played through the season, but I’ve never seen anywhere in the world where people are told that for you to be the best then you have to play a certain number of matches.”
Otieno also said that Gor Mahia are still looking to sign more players with the club targeting at least two strikers.
Gor have signed Shafik Betambuze from Singinda United, Kenneth Muguna from FK Tirana and Pascal Ogweno from Kariobangi Sharks.
K’Ogalo will travel to Liverpool via London on November 2, where they will link up with their coach Kerr before watching Everton’s home match against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday. Gor Mahia will then have a date with Everton on November 6th at the Goodison Park.
This will be Gor’s second match against Everton, after their July 2017 meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.