The millions Gor Mahia will miss out on after failing to feature at Coal City International Cup

Photo || Gor Mahia

The millions Gor Mahia will miss out on after failing to feature at Coal City International Cup

Joel Omotto 19:31 - 02.08.2024

Gor Mahia players’ go-slow has proven costly to the club as the Kenyan champions will miss out on a big fortune following their inability to travel to Nigeria for the Coal City tournament.

Gor Mahia will miss out on over Ksh6 million following their failure to participate in the inaugural Coal City International Cup that kicked off in Enugu, Nigeria on Thursday.

K’Ogalo players failed to travel to Nigeria over their ongoing go-slow as they demand a share of the club’s prize money from winning the FKF Premier League as well as their participation at the CECAFA Kagame Cup.

While the club has opened disciplinary proceedings into the unrest, they are counting losses as the eight-team tournament was set to earn them at least Ksh1.4 million and up to Ksh6.6 million had they won it.

Each participating team at the tournament is guaranteed an appearance fee of N5 million (Ksh478,000) per match, ensuring that every club will earn a minimum of N15 million (Ksh1.4 million) after playing at least three group stage matches.

The grand prize is enticing with the champion will take home N50 million (Ksh4.7 million), meaning the winning side would have banked a total of Ksh6.6 million from the five matches, three at the group, semi-final and final.

“The financial incentives are substantial, not only for the clubs but also for the state, which expects to generate approximately N3.5 billion (Ksh286 million) by the end of the tournament,” tournament spokesperson Ifeanyi Ogbu said ahead of the tournament.

Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier had also been looking forward to the financial windfall before his players scuttled the plan.

“We shall be eight teams in total, and for every match we will play, the club will benefit from a USD 5,000 appearance prize money. The organisers will also cater for air travel and accommodation. There will also be other winning bonuses,” said Rachier last month.