Gor Mahia coach Hassan Oktay has learned that not everyone that celebrates with him after a win has good intentions.
The Turkish-Cypriot coach, who has been enjoying a good spell since joining the Kenyan champions last December, has revealed that he lost his mobile phone when he was lifted high by jubilant fans after the team’s 1-0 win over Angola’s Petro Atletico in a crucial Caf Confederation Cup match at Kasarani on Sunday.
“They showed their love to me after the game, lifting me very high but when I was left to stand on my two feet, I did not have the phone. I have lost valuable contacts but that is part of life in this part of the world,” Oktay said.
After the hard-fought victory, which earned the team a ticket to the quarterfinals of the tournament, hundreds of K’Ogalo fans stormed the pitch at the final whistle to celebrate.
Oktay is not the first coach to lose his valuables under such circumstances.
In 1997, German coach the late Reinhard Fabisch was subjected to a similar treatment after he engineered Harambee Stars’ 1-1 draw against Nigeria in a crucial continental fixture at the same venue.