'Those are rumors' — Under-pressure Zico dismisses talk of Gor Mahia hierachy's move to appoint Croatian tactician

As the clock continued ticking toward full time on Saturday, Gor Mahia interim coach Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno was surely a man wishing the ground could swallow him whole.

Angered and frustrated fans questioning why the club could not find a way to win, having dropped points in two of the last four games in build up to the match.

Had the game ended 1-1 as it had, trouble would have loomed all over, and Zico would have needed immense protection, while finding a way to get out of the compact Dandora Stadium unharmed.

Alphonce Omija's stoppage time goal gave Gor Mahia a dramatic 2-1 win over Posta Rangers to take the pressure off head coach Zedekiah 'Zico' Otieno.

So when Alphonce Omija netted the last-gasp winner in stoppage time from a set-piece routine, it was a big sigh of relief, with Zico practically subjected to survive the wrath of angered supporters.

After a while under protective custody from the GSU officers assigned to provide security during the match, A relieved Zico was finally able to come and speak to the media at the game.

Responding to a question by over whether he had felt as much pressure to win a match as he had this game in his entire career, Zico was quick to acknowledge the ‘bigness’ of Gor Mahia.

Gor Mahia is set to appoint a new head coach with an experienced candidate emerging as a top contender for the role.

“Pressure is part of life even at home. You have to know how to deal with it, The players got the winning goal at a critical and tail end of the team which is something to be proud of,” the interim gaffer said.

“I want to say congrats to the boys. They showed very strong character which is not easy and of late that is where we were lacking because we were conceding goals late in the game and could not manage to come back,” Zico said.

“They showed great mentality.”

Despite missing key players like Austine Odhiambo and Ronney Onyango, there is an expectation that the club must always uphold winning standards at all costs.  Zico is aware of the fact that every member has to take responsibility to keep the fans happy.

The Harambee Stars defender has become a stalwalt not just for the national team, but also for Gor Mahia, but it never would have happened without a brave decision to initially quit the record league champions back in 2019.

“Not just me, but the players. These are professionals  and they are not doing a good job. They have to step up. 

“Gor Mahia is a big team and everybody dreams of getting good results. If we do not get them, the pressure comes back to us, not only the players but also  the technical bench as professionals.”.

Meanwhile, Otieno has dismissed talk of a new coach taking over , with Croatian tactician Sinisa Mihic expected to take charge of the club on a permanent basis since the dismissal of Brazilian Leo Neiva last November.

Zico has categorically dismissed the talk, insisting that the hierarchy have not informed him about anything to do with shaking up the technical bench.

“You are telling me rumors. Do I have to respond to rumors? For now, I have not been told anything so it is difficult for me to answer the question. The right person to answer that is the CEO and the Chariman,” Zico said.

Just a month ago, Gor Mahia Chairman Ambrose Rachier told that Zico would remain in-charge till the end of the season, even leaving the door open for his extension.

Gor Mahia will face Tusker in their next clash on Feb 8, 2025.