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Kibwage blames FKF Premier League delay on Gor Mahia’s CAF Champions League loss to Pyramids FC
07th September, 2026 12:45 PM
Gor Mahia defender Mike Kibwage has blamed their CAF Champions League defeat to Pyramids FC on the delayed start of the domestic Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League season.
The Kenyan champions suffered a 2–0 defeat to kick off their campaign on a false start despite playing on home turf at Nairobi’s Nyayo Stadium against the North African powerhouse club.
Speaking after the clash, the centre-back attributed the outcome to differences in fitness levels occasioned by the delayed league kick-off, and small details.
Lack of competitive games
“We have gained good experience from the encounter despite failing to pick up the win. We wanted to get the win to stand a better chance heading into the next game. Overall, we now have a better view of the team heading into the second leg,” he stated.
“When you engage in competitive action, it gives you a better taste of the level required for such games and the motivation needed. Unlike us, they have played some competitive games, and I feel it played a part in the result,” he posited.
“I believe we had a better second half, we conceded from our own mistakes,” he added.
The widely travelled and experienced centre-back was entrusted with the weighty responsibility of captaining K’Ogalo on their CAF Champions League return, with skipper Sylvester Owino missing out through injury.
The defender who was entrusted with the captaincy in the absence of his centre-back partner, Sylvester Owino, remained upbeat in view of their slim chances as they head to Egypt in the coming week for the second leg of the first preliminary encounter in Cairo.
Gor had their own moment in the game, with Ebenezer Assifuah forcing the visitors to make a last-ditch goal-line clearance from the visitors at the start of the game.
Rematch
“We are getting better with every game we have taken part in. We will continue to pick up our lessons. We now head to their home; if we can pick up from where we left off in our second half and push more, I believe we can have a positive result,” he stated.
Walid El Karti and Mohamed Saber’s strikes eventually proved decisive to hand Rulani Mokwena a crucial first-leg victory and a strong position heading to the Sunday, September 13, 2026, rematch for the return leg at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo.
