Gor fan Salim tips K'Ogalo to lift Cecafa Cup as he strikes Sh26 Million jackpot

Gor fan Athuman Salim poses with his dummy chaque. [Jonah Onyango,Standard]

The Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) Kagame Cup kicked off in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on Tuesday with 12 teams in contention for the total Sh7.6 Million prize money on offer.

One of the sides tipped to lift the trophy, dubbed the Dar Port Kagame Cup, are 21 times Kenyan Premier League champions Gor Mahia FC.

Gor, who starts their title hunt at 9pm on Wednesday against Red Arrows FC of Zambia in Group B, will be looking for a fourth honors in the tournament.

“From the fixtures, I don’t see any club in the tournament stopping Gor from reaching the podium. Gor is more orgamised, plays good football and has a well-meaning sponsor who got their back,” staunch Gor Mahia fan, Athuman Salim told Standard Sports.

Salim was speaking in Nairobi on Monday evening at a ceremony where he was rewarded by gaming firm SportPesa for winning the Sh26,868,134 SportPesa Midweek Jackpot.

The Likoni based storekeeper is one of the two winners who bagged the Midweek Jackpot that stood at Sh53,736,269, which they split.

When asked what he will do with the sudden windfall, the 42-year-old father of two stated: “My plan is to venture into real estate and farming, but before I do that, I will seek the services of a financial advisor, because I don’t want to make any mistake with the money.”

Apart from tipping Gor to lift the Cecafa Kagame Cup, Salim is predicting that K’Ogalo, who will be representing Kenya at the CAF Champions League, will make it to the continental quarters.

“I have total belief in Gor, especially in their new coach Leonardo Martins Neiva of Brazil, to me the tactician is a performer who has potential to put the club well on the African map,” Salim underlined.

Gor named a strong squad of 25 players for the Cecafa Kagame Cup and among the new charges for the job includes Samuel Kapen, Chris Pius Akena, and Gedeon Bendeka. The club aims to secure its first Kagame Cup title under new head coach Neiva. 

Gor is drawn in Group B alongside Zambia’s Red Arrows FC, Telkom FC of Djibouti, and Al Hilal of Sudan.

 The tournament will end on Sunday July 21, 2024 with the winners taking home $30,000 (Ksh3,819,600), the runner-up will receive $20,000 (Ksh2,546,400), and the third-place team will earn $10,000 (Ksh1,273,200). 

The 2024 edition marks the return of the Interclub competition for the first time since 2021.

Express FC are the reigning holders of the cup. Shockingly, they are not part of the competition to defend their title.

The 2024 Cecafa Kagame Cup groupings

Group A: Coast Union FC (Tanzania), Al Wadi FC (Sudan), JKU SC (Zanzibar), Dekedaha FC (Somalia).

Group B: Al Hilal (Sudan), Gor Mahia FC (Kenya), Red Arrows FC (Zambia), Djibouti Telecom (Djibouti).

Group C: SC Villa (Uganda), APR FC (Rwanda), Singida Black Stars (Tanzania), El Merriekh Bentiu (South Sudan).