NAIROBI, Kenya, August 7, 2026 – With a second silverware beckoning, Gor Mahia coach Charles Akonnor admits he cannot wait to get his hands on the Cecafa Club Championships title.
The Ghanaian’s says his ‘stomach’ is rumbling, but not for lack of food; his insatiable appetite can only be tamed by a fourth regional title — their first since they last won it in 1985.
Standing between them and glory are Rwandese giants Rayon Sports, who they meet in the final at the Amahoro Stadium on Friday.
Regardless, Akonnor insists the challenge posed the hosts is not enough to drain his appetite for success.
“It is very challenging and we will always have to find something, a solution to do it. I am always hungry as a coach. I never like to lose and the importance of what we do is when we see the opponents, how they play. It gives us a lot of ideas how to approach the game and we will have a way of playing,” the widely-travelled gaffer says.
It is not lost on Akonnor and K’Ogalo that the hosts have already inflicted their first defeat of the preseason — a 2-0 victory at the Kigali Pele Stadium at the end of last month.
It was a loss that stung like a snake bite, exposing the levels Gor would have to scale to dine at the high table of Africa’s creme-de-la-creme of club football.
Since then, the 22-time FKF Premier League champions have burrowed their way into the final, felling big giants such as another Rwandese side, APR — thrashing them 5-0 in their Group A opener — as well as Sudan’s Al Hilal — who they outclassed 8-7 on penalties in the semi-final.
Reminiscing their previous humbling by Rayon Sports, the former Ghana national team coach points out that the K’Ogalo machine was only just warming up — having had only four days of training in the new season.
“I remember when we played our first friendly match, we’d only had four days training, roughly a week. How we’ve managed to get here has been very wonderful. We are very proud of the boys. We are not here by fluke,” Akonnor pointed out.
Improvement or not, the gaffer will be aware of the threat posed by Friday’s opponent, particularly their discipline on and off the ball.
“They’re very disciplined defensively and it’s so difficult to break the lines with them, especially when you have the ball and you want to attack. They’ve kept that discipline throughout the tournament. Correct me if I am wrong…I think they have only conceded once the whole tournament,” he said.
Akonnor further expects Rayon to be aided by a partisan crowd at Amahoro, a fact that the tactician says may be a blessing in disguise for ‘Chuor Timbe’ (Husband of Teams).
“We have to acknowledge that they are the host side. They must have the home advantage because they have the fans around and they will always also want to impress them. It’s always difficult for you to just come and lose a game at your own turf. For us, we are motivated with that,” the gaffer added.
Good students
Even as their opponents get the best of their 12th man advantage, Akonnor is looking to his motivated and diligent group of players who he describes as good listeners and implementers of instructions.
“They are good listeners. They not just listen but they listen and implement what we ask them to do. It’s going to be challenging but I believe that if you have the luck and you’re a little bit smart, you can get good results,” he said.
The task at hand, according to the former Wolfsburg defender, is not only for the love of the Green Army but also the entire country.
With the weight of expectations of whole nation upon their shoulders, Akonnor believes this will be another motivating factor.
“We want to do our very best. We also know that, like I said the other day, we represent Kenya. we are in the heartbeat of Kenya now, irrespective of club. Now we are together as a nation and we are trying our best to make sure we get a cup and go back and make our people happy,” he said.
Easier said than done; come the referee’s whistle on Friday evening, the only result that will matter for the K’Ogalo faithful will be one in which the scoreboard reads in their favour.
