Gor coach Akonnor denies rift with Siraj, explains Tusker loan move

Gor Mahia head coach Charles Akonnor has dismissed suggestions of a rift with defender Mohamed Siraj, saying the player’s decision to join Tusker FC on loan was driven by his desire for regular playing time.

Siraj had previously spent part of last season on loan at KCB after struggling to nail down a regular spot in the starting line up at Gor Mahia.

After his stint at KCB, Siraj returned to Gor Mahia and featured in the CECAFA Kagame Cup in Rwanda before making the move to Tusker.

Akonnor says Siraj had expressed his desire to leave while the team was in Rwanda but the matter was not discussed at the time. After returning to Kenya, Siraj again approached the coach about seeking more playing time.

Akonnor says he was surprised by the request, particularly after Siraj had performed well in the Kagame Cup.

“I think in his first match in the Kagame he did well. So I even praised him in my press conference,” Akonnor said.

The coach says he also spoke to Siraj about his future and assured him that he had a good chance of playing for Gor Mahia.

“I've had a discussion with him on the way forward, the future, where I've given him the confidence that, you know, the chances are high that he will play,” he said.

However, Siraj later approached Akonnor again and expressed his desire to leave. The coach says he subsequently received a formal request from Tusker for the defender demanding him to go.

Akonnor says he decided not to stand in Siraj’s way because he did not want to keep a player who no longer felt he was part of the team.

“If a player doesn't want to stay, he doesn't have the feeling, the momentum or the idea of believing that he's part of this team and he wants to go, why should you stop him?”

Furthermore, the coach has also rejected suggestions that personal differences were behind Siraj’s departure, saying the demands at Gor Mahia apply to every player.

“I don't have a problem with any player, not just Siraj, but any of the players. Why would I have issues with them? They are all demanded to work and the demands are high.”

Moreover, the coach says he was therefore surprised by reports suggesting that he disliked Siraj or had problems with the defender.

“I was surprised to hear that I don't like him, I have issues with him and stuff, which is not the truth,” he said.

He added that players are expected to perform whenever they are given an opportunity, insisting that his approach is not personal.

“So we want everybody to perform so that when given a chance, he'll be able to perform. And that is how I work. I don't have a personal issue with anybody and I won't, I won’t do that.”

Siraj’s loan move to Tusker gives him another opportunity to secure regular playing time, while Akonnor maintains that his departure was a footballing decision rather than the result of a personal rift.