The record Kenyan champions confirmed in a statement that the Croat, whose last assignment was the 0-0 Premier League draw against Murang’a Seal at SportPesa Arena on Sunday, May 18th, had opted to leave by mutual agreement.
“Gor Mahia wishes to announce that we have mutually agreed to part ways with head coach Sinisa Mihic,” read part of the statement from the club. “We thank coach Mihic for his service and commitment during his time with us and wish him the very best in his future endeavours.”
K’Ogalo went further to confirm that assistant coaches Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno and Michael Nam, who worked under Mihic, had been promoted to take charge of the team on a temporary basis until the end of the season.
“In the interim, the team’s two assistant coaches will take charge of training and match preparations until the end of the season,” concluded the statement.
Mihic arrived at K’Ogalo on February 3rd, 2025, on a six-month probationary contract, and he now leaves the Kenyan giants having managed 15 matches in all competitions, registering eight wins, five draws and suffering two defeats.
He started off his reign with a 2-1 Premier League win against Mathare United before registering two identical draws – 0-0 – against Tusker and Bidco United. Gor Mahia recovered to beat Kariobangi Sharks 3-1 before they shifted their focus to the domestic FKF Cup Round of 32 fixture where they were drawn against minnows Githurai All Stars.
In the domestic Cup, K’Ogalo eased through with a 5-0 mauling of Githurai, before they beat Bandari 2-0 in the league, drew 0-0 against AFC Leopards in his first Mashemeji derby, recovered to edge out KCB 1-0 before beating Bandari 2-0 in the Round of 16 fixture of the FKF Cup.
He then came up against Sofapaka in a game that ended in a 1-1 draw, before Gor Mahia’s title ambitions suffered a huge blow following a shock 1-0 defeat against FC Talanta.
Gor Mahia recovered from the Talanta defeat to hammer Mara Sugar 4-0, and then tossed out Kariobangi Sharks from the quartet-finals of FKF Cup following a 2-0 win.
The next league match took Gor Mahia to Gusii Stadium, where Mihic secured a 1-0 win against Shabana, but on returning to Nairobi, they suffered another shock 2-1 defeat against relegation-threatened Nairobi City Stars before his last game in charge of K’Ogalo ended in a 0-0 stalemate against Murang’a Seal at SportPesa Arena on Sunday, May 18th.
Why Sinisa Mihic left Gor Mahia role
According to a top Gor Mahia official, who did not want to be named, the 47-year-old Croat had lost control of the dressing room because of his trial and error tactics, and the club felt the best way was for the coach to leave before “things could get out of hand.”
“It is clear that Sinisa (Mihic) had lost the dressing room, he didn’t have a good plan for the team," the source told Flashscore.
"His fielding of matchday squads was questionable, he could leave the best players on the bench and could not be questioned. The fact that he could want to make trial and errors in the squad is something that the club could not chew anymore."
“Many Gor Mahia fans were left wondering how and why he could consistently bench players they believed should have been in the starting eleven.
"His style of play wasn’t good enough to fit the style of the champions, he always insisted on a system (3-5-2) that clearly wasn’t effective and made a number of players look bad, and the team struggled with that system.”
The source continued: “Even after being told to change the style, he could not listen. He went further to surprise many by starting five defenders at the back and two midfielders against Murang’a Seal. The system never worked and Gor Mahia could not score.
"Even after he noticed his mistake, when he tried to change the style, it was too late as the game ended in a draw.”
“He was brought in to win us trophies but from the look of things, I don’t think he was determined to achieve the set goals. He at some point got personal with players and even the technical staff, which is not good enough for any team, and we felt that enough was enough.”
Asked whether Gor Mahia will replace Mihic immediately, the source said: “No, at the moment, let ‘Zico’ and Nam take over but on an interim basis. We will give them the support they require to win us the next matches.
"We only have three league matches including the derby to end the season, and of course, the FKF Cup, and then we can plan for next season after the season concludes.”
On April 4th, Mihic was forced to apologise for his actions that led to the fallout with club assistant coaches ‘Zico’ and Nam after he had accused them of “sabotaging my work.”
During the drama, Mihic reportedly expelled the two coaches alongside team manager Victor Nyaoro, who is a long-serving member of the record Kenyan champions, from the team’s training session before their league fixture against KCB at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos.
Explaining why he had taken the decision, Mihic said: “There is no way I’m going to work with them because I can’t be blackmailed.
"These are people I’ve tried to work with - I even lent them money. I’ve also used my own resources to support some of our activities out of goodwill. Why are they sabotaging and fighting me?”
He added: “I can’t allow influence to dictate my decisions. I won’t field players who fail to follow instructions. In fact, some Kenyan players are performing better than the foreigners I’m being pressured to play.
“I’ve served as an assistant coach at various clubs, but I’ve never witnessed or exhibited the kind of conduct I’m seeing from some of my colleagues. It’s unacceptable.”
How did Gor Mahia fans react to Mihic exit?
The exit of Mihic drew mixed reactions from a section of Gor Mahia fans, with some calling on the club management to, instead, overhaul the entire technical bench.
Odhiambo Bonface questioned the decision by asking: “What wrong did this coach commit? How many games did he lose at the touchline?
"Can we now comfortably confirm that the coach was right on being sabotaged, and therefore, the saboteurs won? I really loved the coach and his vibes. I’ll miss you Mihic. All the best sir.”
Austine Akwany was not happy with the decision: “You won’t win this season’s league. You have really frustrated Mihic for no reason. He was a hardworking coach but the likes of ‘Zico’ were fronted to undermine him.”
Akwany’s sentiments were echoed by Tonny Otieno, who wrote: “I loved this coach and I think he was giving his best to the team but compromise of his work and value by internal influence has placed the team where it is.”
Geofrey James said: “Sacking Mihic and allowing ‘Zico’ to remain in the team is crazy,” while George Obadha explained: “That’s a sign of professionalism from the coach because he didn’t like to be entangled in arguments with his juniors. But I think the management would have protected him when he raised the matter (of being sabotaged).”
“Instead of sending the two assistants away you part ways with Mihic for no good reason,” Wuod Loi Jamakosa posed while Dickie Dick wrote: “Zico is the problem, when this is not addressed, Then any change is purely cosmetic.”
Muli Okong'o said; “Those two assistants should have been fired before the head coach,” while Otieno Nelson said: “The head coach should be given powers to choose his assistants. That’s what big clubs do. This is very unprofessional. The guy (Mihic) had a winning mentality.”
Gor Mahia are currently sitting third on the 18-team league table with 54 points, seven fewer than leaders Kenya Police, who have amassed 61 points. K’Ogalo’s remaining three matches will be against AFC Leopards in the Mashemeji derby, Ulinzi Stars and Kenya Police.
