•Gor boss challenged his fierce critics to muscle up for the top seat and navigate the club through next season’s murky waters.
•Rachier denies plans to venture into FKF leadership.
Image: OLIVER MORGAN
Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier will be exiting the club at the end of the year after being at the helm for a decade.
The long-serving chairman opened up on his wish to relinquish his services with the defending champions at the end of the year after recording his sixth Kenyan Premier League title with the club.
Rachier, who replaced Erastus Okul 10 years ago, expressed his desire to part ways with the club at the end of the year, which is way earlier than the expected dates of the polls.
According to the club’s Chief Executive Officer, Omondi Aduda, the elections are tentatively pencilled for next year June. Rachier was, however, non-committal on the reasons behind leaving the club.Gor chairman wants to quit as boss in December this year
He, however, challenged his fierce critics to muscle up for the top seat and navigate the club through next season’s murky waters which include conquering the Caf Champions League.
“I must leave Gor at the end of the year. I have not groomed my successor but will leave it to the members to decide. It’s my very good wish to see my fierce critics come and take over and I wish they can be elected,” he said.
Rachier has been singled out for praise after stabilising the relegation-bound club when he took over and in his tenure, the club has claimed six league titles—two SportPesa Cup titles, two KPL Top Eight titles, four KPL Super Cups and two President’s Cups.
Under his tenure, the club has produced revered players who have proved themselves in the national team and boast of the highest number of local players in the squad bound to represent the country in the Africa Cup of Nations.
However, under his watch, his critics lament on accountability as the club has sunk into debts hence their accounts were frozen for accumulating Sh129 million tax arrears by June last year.
Rachier has been on the receiving end of criticism for failing to mobilise funds for the construction of a clubhouse and stadium despite being a close associate of the patron and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
His managerial style has also been faulted for allowing most of their priced stars to leave as free agents besides failing to transform the club into a listed company.
While it was widely expected that Rachier would part ways with Gor to concentrate his efforts in clinching the Football Kenya Federation top seat in next year’s elections, he refuted pursuing the presidency he lost to Nick Mwendwa in 2016. “At my age, I don’t want to engage myself in federation politics. I want to retire and do farming back at home.”