Gor Mahia fans have a compelling reason to look forward to the start of the Kenyan Premier League season in August.
After securing a record 21st title the previous season, the traditional Kenyan behemoths have embarked on a lively adventure to reinvent their future with a touch of entertaining football.
Leonardo Martins Neiva, a brilliant Brazilian coach, is the wizard tasked with redesigning K'Ogalo's style of play, which has evolved over the years. He reckons he possesses the mojo and the Midas touch to accomplish this dream.
A few days after his arrival, Neiva declared a strong desire to introduce the fashionable Brazilian Samba play at K'ogalo, promising fans an interesting season, full of thrills on the pitch.
Neiva, who was born in Rio de Janeiro on December 10, 1977, has remarkable coaching credentials, including a CBF / CONMEBOL Pro Licence, which he received in 2019.
The fanatical K'Ogalo fanbase will look to him to lead the club to unparalleled heights. Like all of his predecessors, who achieved success to varied degrees, Neiva understands that failure is not an option at K'Ogalo.
Winning titles has been Gor Mahia's business over the years, but they will seek to add some flavour to their string of victories. The club was named after Gor Wuod Ogada Nyakwar Ogalo (Gor, son of Ogada and grandson of Ogalo).
Gor was a well-known medicine man with roots in Kanyamwa, Ndhiwa, and Homa Bay who was famous for his wizardry. Mahia is a Luo word meaning magic.
Throughout the years, K'ogalo have lived up to the name, replicating the exploits of the legendary medicine man after clinching titles at a whim.
While still rummaging through the market for a coach to step into Jonathan McKinstry's shoes, club chairperson Ambrose Rachier said they would hire a tactician who could garnish their rich trophy cabinet with continental titles.
The last time the Kenyan champions achieved such a feat was in 1987, when they bagged the Africa Cup Winners Cup, later known as the Mandela Cup.
They now have a chance to emulate their performance after punching the coveted ticket to fly Kenya's flag at the Caf Champions League which will kick off in August.
Neiva said they are ready to assert authority in the premier annual inter-club showpiece that begins in September.
"We shall keep our fans on the edge of their seats with Brazilian style of play because we understand many people would love to watch us display a beautiful game," Neivas remarked.
"But again, we must deliver a mix of beautiful and competitive style of play for us to accomplish the desired outcome," he added.
The Brazilian gaffer reckons the talent-laden K'Ogalo squad boasts sufficient depth to coast to a maiden Caf Champions League title.
"I'll be evaluating the group of players I've been given to see if they have the potential to adapt to my desired mode of play," Neiva stated.
The 2024 Kagame Cecafa Cup, where Neiva started his head coaching career, became the centre of attention. Sadly, K.Ogalo supporters were left disappointed by the team's lacklustre performance in Tanzania during the regional championship, as they faded to the bottom of the four-team group after two defeats and a draw.
Despite the poor performance, Neiva is optimistic about the club's future, claiming that they are in a transition period that will make them more lethal than before once they get their house in order.
The Brazilian manager understands that he will need to make some changes to fulfil his lofty goals at the club. Neiva has stated that he will not entertain joyriders at the club.
He urged Gor Mahia players to push themselves beyond their limits, emphasising the importance of taking each training session seriously. The blunt-talking Brazilian promised to get the most out of each player.
"My style of coaching is very intense. I'm a flexible guy and very open but also need to be tough and expect the players to take every training session seriously, as they do in the games. That's my message to them," Neiva remarked.
He joins the record Kenyan champions on a two-year deal to replace Johnathan McKinstry who has since taken up a role as head coach of the Gambia national team.
He hinted that he would be moving away from McKinstry's style of play, which encouraged players to gradually build up from behind while seeking ways to punish their opponents.
"My coaching philosophy encourages a physical game with a fast transition. Modern football requires a great deal of speed and organisation," he added.
However, he has promised to build upon the foundation established by his predecessor, Johnathan McKinstry.
"Johnathan did an amazing job at the club and we are ready to take it from where he left. We can't just come here and change everything at once.
"We shall gradually implement my philosophy until it finally gets into place," he added.
The accomplished tactician, 46, has strong coaching credentials, including successful stints with clubs and national teams.
He led Tanzania's Young Africans SC to both the Tanzanian Super Cup and the 2014/15 Premier League championship. He spent six months in command of Uganda Premier League club Vipers SC until being let go in December.
"I once managed Ugandan giants Vipers SC, a club ranked among the top 16 in the Caf Champions League in the 2022 season and also had a short stint at Sudanese giant Al Merrikh," Neiva said.
Previously, the Brazilian coach accomplished a historic feat with the Caribbean national team. He guided Saint Kitts and Nevis to the top position in Group F of the first round of Concacaf qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, defeating Trinidad & Tobago, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Guyana'
“This was the first time in history that the “Sugar Boys” reached the second round of the qualifiers, being the only non-main team in the group to qualify,” he stated.
"Saint Kitts and Nevis rose from 27th to 14th place in the Concacaf ranking under my leadership."
In 2007, Neiva began working as an assistant coach at Rio de Janeiro's América FC.
"My first club job outside of Brazil was to take over the Platinum Stars (Royal Bafokeng) Academy in South Africa, so I accepted the invitation."
“Following this encounter, I headed back to Brazil in 2010 to manage the Bonsucesso-RJ team, where I served as both the senior and the under-20 team's head coach. Later, I guided Yadanarbon FC, mostly working with youth players.”
“Many of them made it to the U'20 National Team, which competed in the U'20 World Cup in New Zealand (2015) for the first time.”
Neiva's well-received efforts earned him the opportunity to lead the Rakhine United senior side in the Myanmar National League at the young age of 34.
"I returned to Brazil after the Asian club's contract expired and I was hired as Francana's head coach for the A3 Series of the São Paulo Championship."
He took a variety of coaching courses to improve his tactical knowledge and curriculum vitae in the interim.
"I was able to gain essential experience for my career by attending CBF/CONMEBOL A and Pro Licences," he stated.
The coach has worked in four continents: Asia, Africa, North America [Caribbean], and South America. In Asia, he managed Yadanabon FC in the Thailand Premier League.
"In North America, I coached Jamaica's Montego Bay United FC League, which won the national championship in the 2015/2016 season. In Africa, I worked for Platinum Stars FC, which won the Nelson Mandela Cup in 2009.
Later, as an assistant coach for Young African SC, he helped the club win the National League of Tanzania and the Super Cup in 2014/2015.
Neiva is a former Brazilian midfielder who began playing futsal with Fluminense FC. He later joined Bonsucesso FC. There were more grassroots experiences at Juventude-RS and Jacarepaguá FC.
The attacking midfielder represented the State of Rio de Janeiro's EC Nova Cidade, the team representing the city of Nilópolis.
He also accrued playing time for several Portuguese teams, including Vilanovense FC and Portuguesa Santista.