Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier has claimed the club has been a victim of its own success over previous Premier League seasons.
Rachier said the financial challenges they have undergone have been piled on them by the continental duties they have had to honour without a regular source of income.
The cost of success
"Success has been part of our undoing and people will be a little bit surprised but let me elaborate that we have been champions seven times and that means we have been going for the African campaign," Rachier told Arocho Live.
"What this implies is that for every trip that we make out of the country, we need Ksh6 to Ksh7 million and when a team comes to play against us at home, we need at least Ksh3 million, which is a total of Ksh10 million per match and the return fixture. You can see that now."
However, Rachier explained how he has been able to lead the club to more success as its chairman since he took over in 2008.
"It is all about leadership, and the quality in that leadership. Tolerance is the most important virtue because the leader is criticised, abused and ridiculed in many ways and so to lead people you must practice tolerance," he added.
"You must be considerate, try to understand people and try to do the right thing, especially during a crisis. There is also integrity and it is central to leadership and, look, if I was a person stealing money at Gor Mahia and not being accountable, I should have been thrown out a long time ago.
"I will dare say, that in the 13 years I have been at Gor Mahia, you can not point a finger at me and say Rachier took money. Integrity is very important in any kind of leadership. But above all, try to understand the people you are dealing with."
FKF.
Rachier also revealed the steps they have undertaken to build a stadium for the club and said it is a project he is passionate about and hopes to leave office when that is achieved.
"We have paid for the land and we are now processing the title deeds and I am determined to break ground before I retire," he concluded. "We have land in Kasarani, 15 acres, and we have paid for it. We intend to have joint partnerships with those who can provide the finance as we produce the land so that we can have some kind of co-ownership.
"We are also looking to have an investor come and buy 49% of the club's shares as we retain the majority so that the club can have commercial sources of income rather than gate collections and sponsorship alone."
Next Match
Rachier was elected unopposed when the club conducted its polls in 2020.
