EXCLUSIVE: Dylan Kerr rules out Gor Mahia comeback despite fans plea
The record Kenyan champions are in the market for a new coach after parting ways with Brazilian Leonardo Martins Neiva owing to a string of poor results. Martins Neiva was fired eight days ago after only managing six matches in the top flight.
His exit saw the club promote assistant coaches Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno and Michael Nam to the coaching role but on an interim basis as they search for Martin Neiva’s successor.
A section of Gor Mahia fans believe Kerr, who helped the team to win two league titles, was the right choice to take up the role now that he was a free agent.
Kerr was appointed Gor Mahia coach in July 2017 and he won the Kenyan Premier League Manager of the Month award in September 2017 on his way to winning the league title in his first season.
He won the Kenyan Premier League Coach of the Month award again in June 2018. Kerr completed a trophy treble in 2018, winning the Kenyan Premier League, Kenyan Super Cup and SportPesa Super Cup, as well as securing qualification for the 2018 CAF Confederation Cup group stages.
Unfortunately the return will not happen
Flashscore sought to know whether Kerr was willing to return and take up the vacant role. In an exclusive interview, Kerr who has won two league titles and five cup competitions since 2014 as a head coach in Vietnam, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa and has helped four South African Premier Division clubs avoid relegation after taking charge with the club in danger of being relegated, confirmed why the return will not be possible.
“Unfortunately it’s not going to happen. Too much respect for the club chairman Ambrose (Rachier). I love my chairman but I’ve had my time at Gor Mahia,” Kerr told Flashscore.
Asked whether he had already received any approach from Gor Mahia since the sacking of Martins Neiva, Kerr responded: “For now, I’ve not spoken to anyone (from the club) but in any case, no, I won’t come back and they won’t come for me.”
After leaving Gor Mahia, Kerr moved to Black Leopards in the South African Premier Division. He won the Coach of the Month award in January 2019, becoming the first Leopards coach in 10 years to win the accolade, and helped Leopards avoid relegation.
In January 2020, Kerr was appointed as the head coach of Baroka. He managed to keep Baroka in the South African Premier Division, but Baroka suspended him in November 2020 for what the club described as 'undermining the chairman and owner in a post-match press conference'. With three years remaining on his contract, Kerr decided to take legal action for unfair dismissal and won his case.
He returned to Black Leopards in November 2020, then was appointed head coach at Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila in February 2021 and won the Nedbank Cup during his time in charge.
In November 2021, Kerr was appointed as the coach of Moroka Swallows with Swallows in the South African Premier Division relegation zone. He guided Swallows to safety via the play-offs, but his contract was not renewed and he left the club in September 2022.
His last club in South Africa was Marumo Gallants, who he joined in July 9th, 2024, after the club purchased PSL status from Kerr's former club Moroka Swallows.
However, Kerr resigned after only three weeks in the role following the club's decision to appoint a co-coach. He said: “I didn't feel it was the right move for me to go in the direction that they wanted and I said, ‘chairman, I think we just need to go our ways separately.' And that was it.”
With Gor Mahia set to face rivals AFC Leopards in the Mashemeji derby on Sunday, November 24th, Kerr was asked to give his predictions. He said: “Gor Mahia to win, are you seriously asking me about that?”
AFC Leopards will beat Gor Mahia in derby
The derby on Sunday has continued to elicit debate with former Gor Mahia goalkeeper Mike Kisaghi tipping AFC Leopards to beat his former club.
“I will pick AFC to win because Gor Mahia are not settled and are faced with many problems, they don’t have their coach after firing him and it is not going to be easy for those who are in charge,” Kisaghi told Flashscore.
“Zico’ and Nam will need a few games to start getting positive results and I could simply say the derby has not come at the right time for Gor Mahia, they ought to have played the derby maybe in the next six matches after they evaluate their players, so AFC will carry the day if they plan well.”
Last season, it was K'Ogalo who took the bragging rights by sealing a double over their nemesis. In the first-round meeting, Gor Mahia secured a 2-0 win before sealing a 1-0 victory in the second-round meeting on their way to winning a record 21st league title.
In 2023, the two sides battled to a 0-0 draw in the first-round meeting but Ingwe took the honours in the second-round fixture after beating Gor Mahia 2-1, and ended their 10-match winless run against the champions.
During the 2021 campaign, Gor Mahia emerged 1-0 winners in the first meeting before the two sides shared the spoils in the reverse fixture.
In the 2019 campaign, Gor Mahia proved too strong for Ingwe. In the first-round meeting, they hammered Ingwe 3-1 before they sealed a memorable double after thrashing them 4-1 in the second-round fixture. In that season only, Gor Mahia scored seven goals against their rivals and conceded only two.
