Gor Mahia fire coach Martins Neiva after only six FKF Premier League matches
A statement from the record Kenyan champions confirmed the exit of the Brazilian by saying: “The decision was made after the club management invoked a contractual clause leading to the end of the coach’s tenure effective immediately.
"The club will now begin the hunt for a new manager who embodies the values and aspirations and who will bring renewed energy and strategic insight to the team."
The statement continued: "The club extends its gratitude to Neiva for his commitment, hard work, and contributions to Gor Mahia during his time with the team.
"However, following a thorough evaluation and in the interest of aligning with the club's long-term vision, the management has determined that a change in leadership is necessary."
K'Ogalo added that assistant coaches Zedekiah Otieno and Michael Nam will take charge of the team on an interim basis as they such for a new replacement. "As a result, assistant coach Zedekiah 'Zico' Otieno and Michael Nam will take over in the interim as the recruitment process for a new head coach progresses."
Ups and downs at Gor Mahia
The Brazilian arrived at K'Ogalo at the start of the new campaign replacing Johnathan McKinstry, who had stepped down at the closing stages of last season, to take up the vacant role as the head coach of the Gambia national team.
Martins Neiva’s first task with K’Ogalo took him to Tanzania for the CECAFA Kagame Cup in July where they failed to go past the group stage of the regional tournament. Gor Mahia lost their Group B opener 1-0 against Zambia champions Red Arrows, drew 1-1 against minnows Djibouti Telekom before suffering a 2-0 defeat against Sudanese side Al Hilal to exit without winning a single game.
The next assignment took Martins Neiva and Gor Mahia to the CAF Champions League where they were drawn to face El Merreikh of South Sudan in the first preliminary round. K’Ogalo lost the first leg 1-0 in Juba but returned home to hammer the visiting side 5-1 to qualify on a 5-2 aggregate win.
However, in the second round, they were pitted against defending champions Al Ahly of Egypt. Gor Mahia started at home losing 3-0 and despite Martins Neiva remaining confident of overturning the result in Cairo, they suffered another 3-0 defeat to exit the stage at the second round with a 6-0 aggregate scoreline.
K’Ogalo then shifted their attention to the FKF Premier League but their results have not been impressive. They kicked off the season with a 4-0 win against Mathare United, hammered Posta Rangers 3-0, drew 0-0 against KCB before losing their first game of the season 2-1 against Nairobi City Stars.
The defeat against Simba Wa Nairobi was followed up with a 2-2 draw against Murang’a Seal before they lost 2-0 against Bandari FC in the last game before the current FIFA international break.
Against City Stars, Martins Neiva and his players were held hostage at Machakos Stadium before being whisked away to safety by security. The fans were demanding answers following a string of poor results.
In Mombasa after the defeat against the Dockers, a similar incident resurfaced with Gor Mahia fans attacking coach Martins Neiva while others calling for his resignation “before things get out of hand.”
Confident of turning things around
In a recent interview with Flashscore, Martins Neiva remained confident of turning around the poor results. “I can say that we will certainly recover ourselves, but we can see that this season the league is more competitive and balanced.
"All of the giants in the Premier League are going through difficulties, it is not Gor Mahia alone,” said Martins Neiva.
When asked to explain what led to K’Ogalo’s defeat against winless City Stars, Martins Neiva said: “The Mosquito FC tournament certainly affected the draw against (KCB) and the defeat to Nairobi City Stars, as it significantly affected the physical aspect of my players and the team.”
Asked if Gor Mahia remains the team to beat in the Premier League, the former SC Villa coach in Uganda explained: “Of course, we are the current champions but we are going to work hard on this issue and get ourselves back to where we belong, we need to win matches and not lose matches, we will do something.”
On whether he was feeling pressure working at Gor Mahia, he responded: “There is no professional football without pressure, especially in a giant club like Gor Mahia. I Just request for the fans to believe in us. We are working hard to get them to smile and celebrate again.”
After the two-week break, Gor Mahia will return to league action with a top fixture - the Mashemeji derby - against their bitter rivals AFC Leopards on Sunday, November 24th.
While Gor Mahia are currently placed 12th on the 18-team league table with eight points from six outings, Ingwe are sitting fifth with 11 points from eight matches.
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