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Travel hitch as Gor Mahia depart late for Berkane tie

Gor Mahia captain Dennis Oliech (left) complains to Botswana Referee Joshua Bondo during their Caf Confederation Cup quarter-final first leg match against RS Berkane on April 7, 2019 at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |

Embattled Kenyan champions Gor Mahia on Friday left the country for Morocco ahead of their Caf Confederation Cup second leg quarter final match against RS Berkane.
The match will kick off at 10pm on Sunday in the town of Berkane near the Mediterranean Sea and Gor will need to win by three clear goals in order to remain in the competition.
Coach Hassan Oktay has acknowledged the magnitude of tomorrow’s game while also asking his boys to give their best performance during the match.
“We are missing quite a number of players and we also have two goal disadvantage so it will be very tough to change all that, but nothing is impossible. It has been a tough week for us but I have tried to lift the boys up. I have asked them to keep their head up and relax,” he said.
Coach Hassan Oktay, who followed the first leg proceedings from the terraces due to a ban from Caf, will return to the touchline for Sunday’s game.
Nonetheless, he will still miss key players Jacques Tuyisenge, midfielder Ernest Wendo and Ugandan defender Shafik Batambuze who are all suspended.
Captain Harun Shakava, who missed the first leg due to suspension, is however available for selection in the game.
Due to a slight misunderstanding between the club officials and the Ministry of Sports, the team failed to travel on Thursday night as had earlier been planned, and instead travelled in two batches on Friday.
The team had camped at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Thursday night hoping to travel, but it turned out that the ministry had not made the appropriate travel arrangements.
“We got to the airport but the airline said we had not been booked to travel with them so we went back to our training base to continue with preparations. We had a session early today (Friday) morning at Camp Toyoyo training as we wait for communication from the ministry,’’ said Gor team manager Jolawi Abondo.
The first batch of the team left early in the afternoon to Casablanca by Qatar Airways (through Doha) while the second batch was scheduled to leave at 8.15pm by Air Maroc through Brazzaville to Casablanca.
Their hosts will then be responsible for their transport to Berkane town, which is some 600 kilometres away from Cassablanca.
The first leg clash was played on Sunday April 7 at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani where K’Ogalo lost 2-0.

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