Is former Gor Mahia coach Jose Ferreira returning to KPL?

Former Gor Mahia head coach Jose Marcelo Ferreira (Ze Maria) could be on his way back to the Kenyan Premier League (KPL), according to the latest reports.

The Brazilian succeeded Frank Nuttall, who had led K’Ogalo to the 2015 KPL title without losing a single match, but resigned in 2017 abruptly before joining KF Tirana.

He exited the club after it had just won the SportPesa Super Cup and were on top of the KPL table with 27 points.

Ze Maria’s rumours of return come amid reports Gor Mahia are in the market for a new coach to replace the current tactician, Steven Polack.

In a recent interview, Ze Maria stated coaching Gor Mahia – who will fly the Kenyan flag in the Caf Champions League again – was like leading Brazilian sides Flamengo or Corinthians.

“It was the biggest club in Kenya, so every game was like managing Flamengo or Corinthians in Brazil. The stadium was packed,” Ze Maria said then.

“There were difficulties. Sometimes you go to a stadium where the players don’t all fit in the changing room, so you have to change on the bus.

“But the passion is absurd. African players are technically similar to Brazilians, but they lack opportunities to move to bigger leagues.

“Because of the pitches, when you dribble, the ball would bounce a metre up in the air, but the quality with which they controlled and conducted it, not even a Brazilian would do that.”

When Ze Maria resigned as Gor Mahia coach, he later signed Kenneth Muguna and Musa Mohamed for the Albanian side but the two returned after short stints in Europe.

Should the former Inter Milan star join any of the KPL sides, he will be tasked with ending Gor Mahia’s dominance in the last three seasons.

Ze Maria’s former side has won the previous three titles but has failed to progress further on the continental front, where they were last eliminated by Daring Club Motema Pembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Meanwhile, credible reports have indicated Gor Mahia striker Dennis Oalo has joined Posta Rangers.

Oalo joined K’Ogalo last year from the National Super League (NSL) side Nairobi Stima and has also previously featured for KPL outfit Kisumu All-Stars.