Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards Paying the Price of Decades of Mismanagement with Mashemeji Derby Confusion

Another Mashemeji Derby, another postponement.

Gor Mahia were set to play AFC Leopards in the 97th Mashemeji Derby this weekend but that match is now in doubt after K’Ogalo announced that they do not have a suitable venue.

This is despite announcing that Kasarani Stadium will host the high stakes match with tickets even going on sale.

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While an official communication from Football Kenya Federation is yet to come out regarding the fate of the match, all is pointing to a cancellation following reports that CAF has warned against using Kasarani, which has been undergoing renovation ahead of the 2024 African Nations Championships.

There have been reports that Gor Mahia have been offered the much smaller Ulinzi Complex to host the match but the FKF Premier League champions have rejected this proposal as it will deny them massive revenue from the big game.

It means for the third time this season, the Mashemeji Derby could be postponed. The game was first postponed in November 2024 when AFC Leopards, hosts of the first leg, could not be granted access to either Kasarani or Nyayo stadiums, and in early March over the same reasons.

A compromise would be struck, allowing Leopards to host Gor Mahia at Nyayo on March 30, but now, it is the turn of Gor Mahia to ‘suffer.’

Gor Mahia had hoped to be allowed to use Kasarani as Nyayo is out of bounds given a tartan track is being laid in readiness for Kip Keino Classic but they have received a setback following the directive from CAF.

However, their woes exposes the decades of mismanagement of the two clubs who for 61 and 57 years of their existence, they still do not have even a training ground of their own.

AFC Leopards, founded in 1964 and Gor Mahia, who came into existence in 1968, are still living from hand to mouth and are always a sponsorship loss away from begging bowls while when it comes to infrastructure, they have nothing to call their own.

It leaves the two teams depending on others to train and play matches as despite years of promises, nothing is yet to be actualised.

While their peers in the region and on the continent have facilities of their own, the Kenyan giants are still making promises of building a clubhouse and a stadium and when venues they depend on become inaccessible like now, they are left stranded.

The Mashemeji Derby confusion is therefore an opportunity for both Leopards and Gor to reflect on the past missteps and move with speed to make the future better.