Gor Mahia Coach Shares What Gives Him Belief of Upsetting Pyramids in CAF Champions League

Gor Mahia coach Charles Akonnor has responded to the club’s daunting CAF Champions League preliminary round clash in a bullish fashion.

K’Ogalo were handed a nightmare draw when they were paired with Egyptian club Pyramids FC in the first preliminary round match whose opening leg will be played between September 4 and 6 and the second one a week later.

It is a tough task for Akonnor’s charges against Rulani Mokwena’s team who are one of the title favourites, given they won the Champions League in 2025, before being eliminated at the quarter-final by this year’s losing finalists AS FAR Rabat.

However, Akonnor is pinning his hopes on his tactical acumen as well as his side’s recent experience in the CECAFA Kagame Cup, where they played against one of the seasoned Champions League teams.

“I am always hungry as a coach. I never like to lose,” Akonnor said as quoted by The Star. “We know that we have a bigger competition coming ahead of us and we shall give it our best shot,” he added.

“If we're able to test ourselves and do well against the likes of Al Hilal, who are a big team in Africa, then we've achieved something,” said the Ghanaian coach, whose side held Al Hilal to a 1-1 draw before winning on post-match penalties in the Kagame Cup semi-final last week.

“When we see the opponents, how they play, it gives us a lot of ideas how to approach the game,” said Akonnor, who has been heavily backed in the transfer market by the signings of Ebenezer Ocran, Daniel Sakari, Humphrey Katasi, Michael Onyango, Enock Machaka, Wesley Otieno, Paul Okoth, David Okoth and Hansel Ochieng.

Gor Mahia are clearly the underdogs in the Champions League tie as they have never made it to the group stage of the competition as currently constituted although they won the old African Cup Winners’ Cup in 1987.

However, Akonnor acknowledges the ever-demanding Gor Mahia supporters will act as an extra source of motivation for his players who could pull off a major upset.

“The support here is massive and fans are very passionate about the things they do,” Akonnor further stated.

Gor Mahia will stage in the first leg in Nairobi before playing in Egypt with the winner of this tie set to face either South Sudan’s El Merreikh Bentiu or Somalia’s Heegan FC in the second preliminary round.