Football
Exclusive: Gor Mahia coach Martins Neiva Stays Mum About Rooney Onyango’s Saga
Gor Mahia coach Leonardo Martins Neiva declines to comment on Rooney Onyango's omission from recent matches, citing internal issues.
Image Credits: Mozzart Sport
Gor Mahia head coach Leonardo Martins Neiva has refused to comment on the situation surrounding winger Rooney Onyango, who was dropped when the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League champions played their last CAF Champions League fixture.
The 24-year-old Onyango, who can play as a defender, was omitted from K’Ogalo’s starting XI against African champions Al Ahly as the Kenyan giants suffered a 3-0 defeat in Cairo on September 21 to exit the inter-club competition at the second preliminary round stage on a 6-0 aggregate scoreline.
Gor Mahia lost the first leg 3-0 in Nairobi. Despite making the trip to the North African nation. Onyango was overlooked for the fixture with his omission eliciting a lot of debate amongst a section of K’Ogalo faithful.
But reacting to his omission, the Brazilian coach told SportsBoom after the game that the Kenya national team Harambee Stars player had been dropped because of disciplinary issues.
“Rooney (Onyango) missed the game because of lack of commitment, behaviour, and discipline. We are a team, and we need to work together for teamwork,” Martins Neiva told SportsBoom.com.
Rooney Onyango Situation Stays Unknown
After their exit from the Champions League, Gor Mahia shifted their focus to defend the league title and play against Mathare United in their first match of the 2024/25 campaign on September 28.
During the fixture at Machakos Stadium, K’Ogalo showed their intentions of winning a third straight title after hammering the promoted ‘Slum Boys’ 4-0 courtesy of goals from Austin Odhiambo, Shariff Musa, Geofrey Ochieng and new signing Gedeon Bendeka.
Just like the fixture against Al Ahly, Onyango was missing from K’Ogalo’s matchday squad.
SportsBoom.com reached out to Martins Neiva to shed more light on the situation of the player, who previously turned out for Gusii United and Wazito FC.
No comment please, it is an internal issue.
Martins Neiva
Though he has not played in the last two matches, Onyango was among the 26-man squad summoned by Kenya head coach Engin Firat for their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying Group J double-header against Cameroon.
Kenya will face the Indomitable Lions in the first round meeting at Japoma Stadium on Friday, October 11, before they face off again on October 14 at Stade Nelson Mandela Stadium in Uganda.
Onyango has been an integral part of K’Ogalo’s squad and was the hero when they staged a comeback to defeat El Merreikh of South Sudan 5-1 in the return leg of their first round Champions League fixture at Nyayo Stadium on August 25.
The huge win saw K’Ogalo overturn a 1-0 first leg defeat suffered in Juba to qualify for the second round on a 5-2 aggregate win and book a date to face Al Ahly.
During the game at Nyayo, Gor Mahia trailed in the opening seven minutes, but a quick turnaround saw them score goals through Chris Ochieng, Alpha Onyango, Alphonse Omija before Rooney Onyango completed the rout with a brace in the 80th and 92nd minute.
After the game, Martins Neiva singled out praise for Onyango, who had grabbed the headlines, for his superb display. “Rooney (Onyango) really played well. He is a very gifted, quality player, who can play in many positions,” said the former Vipers SC coach.
Martins Neiva Satisfied with Gor Mahia’s Opening Win
Neiva revealed his happiness at starting off the season with a resounding victory but admitted they still had a lot to do to achieve their targets for the season.
“It was a good game for us surely, the most important part was to win the game and with a good number of goals, and we scored 4.”
“I am very satisfied with what I checked on the ground, but we still have a lot of work to do, let us keep moving forward.”
Neiva promised to use the current FIFA international break to sharpen his team for the subsequent matches. “We have the break coming up, and I want to use it to put my players in shape, it is good for the break, so we will use it to rectify mistakes from past matches and get ready for the next assignments,” explained Martins Neiva.
After the international break, Gor Mahia’s next five matches will start with an away game against Posta Rangers on October 19, host KCB on October 23, take on Nairobi City Stars on October 26, host Murang’a Seal on November 2 before taking on bitter rivals AFC Leopards in Mashemeji derby on November 24.
Dennis is a seasoned journalist in Kenya with over 18 years of experience. Having started his career at Kenya Times Newspaper, Dennis worked for Standard Newspaper for nearly six years as a Sports Writer. At Standard, he was privileged to cover Kenya's national team Harambee Stars outside the country, the biggest of all being the Four Nations tournament in Cairo, Egypt. He also covered the U17 team in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.