Gor to negotiate new sponsorship deal with SportPesa

Kenyan Premier League (KPL) giants Gor Mahia FC will engage SportPesa in talks over a possible reinstatement of their sponsorship deal which was terminated last month.

Gor’s CEO Lordvick Aduda said they are planning to have a session with the gaming firm after they were given the green light by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to apply for a new betting license.

The gaming firm has been out of business for two months after their paybill numbers were blocked following an order by the Government over tax incompliance.

The clearance by the KRA came barely three days after the  gaming firm lost a case in which they wanted compensation from the government for the revenues lost during the shut up period.

The gaming firm and the government had been locked in a standoff over tax issues, prompting a fierce court battle. The gaming firm had cancelled its sponsorship agreement with sports federations and clubs owing to the standoff.

“We will sit with them and see if there can be a possibility of their comeback on board as our major sponsors. But we are also in talks with other potential sponsors and we will let the public know of any positive progress,” Aduda said in an interview with Ramogi FM.

Last week the club deputy secretary general Ronald Ngala indicated that the firm had remitted to the club money enough to take them till end of August 2019. This means their possible come back on board could mean very little hitch, if any, of the sponsorship.

“We really need them back on board since at the moment we don’t have any sponsor. Their comeback will be a blessing to us ahead of our continental assignments,” Aduda said.

Aduda added that the two newly acquired foreign strikers comprising of Ghanian Francis Afriyie and Ivorian Gislein Yikpe Gnamian are now eligible to play in the Champions League.

“CAF regulations stipulates that a players registered late can start playing in the second round and here we are.

“They are now available for selection against USMA, subject to passing fitness tests after both of them picked injuries during their earlier trainings at Camp Toyoyo’’.

Commenting on the e-ticketing that was meant to boast the club’s gate collection, Aduda says they are still facing a challenges.

The CEO says the gate keepers are still colluding with corrupt fans and taking as little as Sh50 in bribe to allow the fans into the stadia.

“We are still addressing the challenges. It was a nice idea but we still feel the gate keepers are a letdown. The fans are also a betrayal. When the Sh50 ends up in individuals’ pockets, it doesn’t help the club.”

He says they neither met their target at Kasarani nor in Kisumu over the weekend and that corruption is evident due to the high match attendance and the outcome of the revenues realized.

Gor’s next assignment will be against Algeria’s USM Alger on September 15 in Algeria with the return match scheduled for Nairobi on September 27.