Gor Mahia narrow focus to UK, Belgium and Serbia in search of head coach

The next head coach for the Football Kenya Federation side Gor Mahia will come from either the United Kingdom, Serbia or Belgium, Goal has learnt.

Gor Mahia are in search for a new coach after they mutually parted ways with Carlos Manuel Vaz Pinto, who helped them win the FKF Shield Cup with a win against AFC Leopards. Goal understands that five coaches have already been shortlisted and are from the aforementioned European countries.

Five shortlisted

"The men already on the club's preferred list are from Serbia, Belgium and the United Kingdom," a source privy to the ongoings at Gor Mahia told Goal on Friday. "It is too early to give names or say who is likely to be our next coach though.
 
"We will undertake the recruitment process with the highest level of professionalism and, in the end, we hope to get the most qualified coach. We need a coach who will help push our ambitions both in the local domestics and in the Caf games.
 
"Experience is a key ingredient and that has always guided us in recruiting the previous coaches and it is not going to be different this time around. We have always selected top-notch coaches and the results have shown we have been doing a great recruitment job."
 
Recently, another source at the club revealed why they would go for a foreign coach instead of appointing a local one: "We have experienced great successes with coaches from outside and that does not mean we do not respect our local talents," the source said.
 
"Any time we appoint a foreign coach, we must ensure the technical bench consists of Kenyans who understand the club and its traditions. Local deputies have always helped their foreign counterparts settle quickly and transition without so many problems.

Goal Kenya.

"We can not say all the success we have witnessed before can be credited to foreign coaches. No, our Kenyan coaches have always played critical roles because they understand the league deeper, they can converse with the players with ease given their understanding of Kiswahili, and they also understand our rivals far better."

Despite financial difficulties, Gor Mahia have often appointed foreign coaches, although none has stayed with them for more than a season. Bobby Williamson, Frank Nuttal, Ze Maria, Dylan Kerr, Hassan Oktay, Steven Polack, and Vaz Pinto are among the coaches that have trained the local giants in previous seasons.