OPINION: Should Muguna apologize for controversial goal celebration against Gor Mahia?

By Stephen Ayoo

Kenneth Muguna had an embarrassing abundance of options he could have picked to celebrate his goal that drew Kenya Police level and put them on their way to claiming a great victory against league leaders Gor Mahia.

A punch in the air, arms stretched wide akin to Jude Bellingham, A little fimbu dance may be, a knee slide perhaps, pointing at his temple with his index finger, delivering a personal rendition of CR7's signature siuuuu, may be?

Or even, as Gor Mahia fans would have wished, ‘refusing’ to celebrate by raising his hands up apologetically to show respect for his former side.

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Nope, none of those he picked.

He instead let ego throw a party and hubris show up uninvited, choosing the most infamous of them all – wheeling away while making that gesture that tells some supposed enemies to shut the unprintable word up!

And just like that, attention shifted from a rare victory for Police vis-a-vis the pre-match controversy on the extortionate ticket prices, to him, the life of the party - or at least the controversial guest.

A move straight from an egomaniac’s playbook.

Granted, football is a game of passion. But that passion should never obscure reason.

Muguna allowed himself to be infected by the Disease of Me. A disease that can, has and continues to corrupt and sink far better and the most innocent of people, footballers notwithstanding.

Before penning this piece, I searched in vain for any Gor Mahia fan contempt directed at the Kenyan international before the match.

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Who or what could have rattled Muguna's cage so much that he trashed a great relationship with Gor Mahia? Was the man from Mboka baited, overwhelmed by the occasion, or does he feel his climb in football is complete?

Muguna’s greatest moment in football, you could argue, was when he won the Kenyan Premier League MVP award in 2016 while knitting the strings together in the defunct Western Stima’s midfield.

Depending on whether he ranks individual awards over team honours, his next best moments would be thrice winning the league title with Gor Mahia, twice as captain in 2017 and 2018.

Gor was the club that took him back, just 10 months after he departed for a stint at Albanian side FK Tirana which didn’t work as envisioned.

Gor was the team readiest to take him back when his two-year contract with Tanzanian side Azam FC ended. If not for Police making it rain on him - they are not anywhere close to the stature of the record league champions, his destination was most obvious.

What is love if that isn’t?

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That is why his celebration hit Gor Mahia faithful where it hurts. Here’s a lad they considered one of their own showing them the forbidden finger – Tito Okello, who was the destroyer in chief with two goals, left Gor more recently but was modest in his celebration.

Defenders David ‘Cheche’ Ochieng’ and Musa Mohammed and midfielder Francis Kahata – who produced arguably the assist of the season for the third goal, are all former Gor Mahia players who helped deliver the victory but refrained from rubbing it in.

If I were Muguna's handler (assuming there’s one), I'd prescribe a dose of humility and a hearty apology. The best time for him to do so was then. The other best time is now.

Apologize unless you are some 22-year-old Cassius Clay who in February 1964 after dethroning Sonny Liston would say: “It’s hard to be humble when you’re as great as I am.”

He would change his name to Muhammad Ali.

Some ego he had, didn’t he? And he backed it up.

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