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The former K’Ogalo striker revealed why he thinks the 21-year-old has been prolific in front of goal in the 2022-23 campaign
Gor Mahia legend Peter Dawo believes Benson Omala is the biggest beneficiary of the club’s transfer ban that was imposed in 2021.
The 19-time Kenyan champions were slapped with a two-year transfer ban and ordered to pay a fine of nearly Ksh1 million for failing to clear salary arrears of former players Ghanaian midfielder Jackson Owusu and Malian goalkeeper Adama Traore.
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The two players took the matter to FIFA, who handed Gor the heavy punishment, and with K’Ogalo unable to strengthen the team, they have had to rely on a number of youngsters, Omala being one of them.
Omala grabbed his opportunity with both hands and currently leads the Football Kenya Federation Premier League Golden Boot race with 25 goals. Dawo feels the youngster might not have been the leading scorer had his club not been serving the transfer ban.
“Omala is an upcoming player and there was a time Gor we banned from signing players and that helped him a great deal,” Dawo, who played for Gor in two stints between 1987 and 1991, told Pulse Sports.
“He got a chance and proved that he can be a real striker. Without the ban, Gor would have brought in another striker and it is possible that we would not have known much about him. So, the ban may not have been good for Gor but it helped the upcoming players, especially people like Omala.
“Gor would have gone for a ready-made striker but now Omala got the chance to prove that he can score goals. If he stays disciplined, he will get better because as a striker, it is not about how many people you dribble past, what matters is that you are scoring goals.”
The 21-year-old’s goals have been vital for Gor who have mounted a title challenge despite the transfer embargo and are currently just one point behind leaders Tusker FC with four games remaining.
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He has already been linked with clubs outside the country, like South Africa’s Orlando Pirates.
Omala is also on the cusp of making history as his 25 goals are just one shy of the record of 26 set by another Gor legend Maurice ‘Sony’ Ochieng who achieved the feat in 1976.
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