Exclusive: Al Ahly Have Great History but Anything is Possible, says Gor Mahia coach Martins Neiva
Gor Mahia head coach Leonardo Martins Neiva believes playing against Egyptian giants Al Ahly in the second round of the CAF Champions League will be a tall order for the Kenyan champions but maintains “in football, anything is possible.”
Martins Neiva
K’Ogalo, who clinched a record 21st Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League title last season to make a return to the inter-club competition, reached the second round after eliminating South Sudanese outfit El Merreikh Bentiu on a 5-2 aggregate result.
Gor Mahia lost the first leg in Juba 1-0 but turned on the screw during the return leg to hammer the visitors 5-1 at Nyayo Stadium and secure their passage to the second round of the lucrative competition.
K’Ogalo’s qualification pitted them against the African champions Al Ahly, who had received a bye to the second round. Gor Mahia will host the Red Devils in the first leg at Nyayo Stadium on Sunday, September 15, before the two sides face off again in the return on Saturday, September 21 at Cairo International Stadium.
Al Ahly the Greatest but Giant clubs Suffer Defeats
Kenya teams have always endured a bad record while playing against teams from North Africa including the national team Harambee Stars. Whenever the local teams get a draw against an opponent from North Africa it becomes the end of their journey in any CAF competition.
In recent years, only Sofapaka managed to turn the tables against Egyptian side Ismaily SC during their Confederation Cup fixture in 2020. Having gone down 2-0 in the first leg tie in Egypt, Sofapaka mounted a comeback to upset their visitors with a 4-0 win in Nairobi.
However, Sofapaka’s quest to reach their first ever group stage in the CAF competition was dashed after they lost to another North African side Tunisia's Club Africain on a 4-3 aggregate result. They lost the first leg 3-0 in Tunisia before losing 3-1 in Nairobi.
The 46-year-old Brazilian tactician, who took charge of K’Ogalo on July 1, 2024, to replace the departed Johnathan McKinstry, is hopefully with his great experience in coaching, the poor run of results by Kenyan clubs will soon be a thing of the past.
Asked whether the poor record will change when Gor Mahia take on Al Ahly, Martins Neiva responded exclusively to SportsBoom.com. “We hope so, everyone knows that Al Ahly is the big favourite to keep the title (Champions League trophy) again by the great history and records of the club, but I can give you an example when things went against the favourite.”
“I had a great experience in the Qatar World Cup qualifiers in 2021 where I managed to qualify the Saint Kitts and Nevis National Team for the second round for the first time ever in the country’s history. We were fourth Power/force in a group with 5 (five) national teams where the big favourite was Trinidad and Tobago, who had already played in the World Cup before.”
So, in football everything is possible, we have already seen giant clubs and national teams defeated.
Martins Neiva
While Gor Mahia has 21 Kenyan league titles, Al Ahly has a record of 44 Egyptian Premier League titles, 39 Egypt Cup titles and 14 Egyptian Super Cups.
They are the most successful club in Africa having won a record 12 Champions League titles, one Confederation Cup, a record of eight CAF Super Cups, a record of four African Cup Winners’ Cups, one Afro-Asian Club Championship, one Arab Club Champions Cup, one Arab Cup Winners' Cup, a record of two Arab Super Cups, and has won 4four bronze medals in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Gor Mahia Undergoing Tactical, Physical Preparations
According to Martins Neiva the fixture against Al Ahly will demand a lot from his players hence the decision to focus on tactical and physical preparations.
“We are undergoing tactical, physical, and technical preparations to try to do our best against the African champions. This game will certainly demand a lot from my players due to the level of the opponent,” offered Martins Neiva, who last season coached Uganda Premier League giants Vipers SC and had a short spell at Sudanese giants Al Merrikh in 2022.
Gor Mahia is yet to play their first match in the FKF Premier League after the opening fixture against FC Talanta was shelved to allow them time to prepare for the El Merreikh first round clash.
On whether missing domestic action will affect his team, Martins Neiva said: “Of course, if we were in a competition, we would be more physically prepared (match fitness), but let’s manage this well.”
Gor Mahia centre back Alphonse Omija suffered a knock and was withdrawn during Harambee Stars’ 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying Group J fixture against Zimbabwe which ended in a 0-0 draw at Stade Nelson Mandela Stadium in Kampala, Uganda, on Friday, September 6.
Despite the injury to the 21-year-old, who missed Kenya’s matchday two fixture against Namibia at Orlando Stadium on Tuesday, September 10, Martins Neiva is keeping fingers crossed that he will make the squad for the Al Ahly game.
Omija got an Injury during his last game for the national team against Zimbabwe, he is under treatment already. I Hope he can play,
Martins Neiva
Dennis is a seasoned journalist in Kenya with over 18 years of experience. Having started his career at Kenya Times Newspaper, Dennis worked for Standard Newspaper for nearly six years as a Sports Writer. At Standard, he was privileged to cover Kenya's national team Harambee Stars outside the country, the biggest of all being the Four Nations tournament in Cairo, Egypt. He also covered the U17 team in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.