Having pulled a good one during the big Saturday’s Mashemeji derby at Kasarani – Nairobi, Gor Mahia will reward Rebecca Oyando for representing the club in standing with the family, relatives, friends and clubs of Argentine player Emiliano Sala who died in a plane crash last month.
Sala played for Nantes FC of France which apparently is the former club of Gor Mahia striker Dennis Oliech thus making the tragedy to be ‘closer’ home.
While many fans concentrated on the usual colours and activities that do spice up a derby match, Oyando decided to do it her own way by printing a T-Shirt with Sala’s image and doing a placard with good message to the fallen player.
Throughout the match, Oyando would clearly display her placard together with the club’s flag and one lense was lucky enough to capture those moments.
Oyando says she got touched by the incident and thought it’s wise to represent Gor Mahia in standing with the family and friends of Sala.
“It was one of the saddest incident and l thought l should represent my club in mourning Sala… we share excitement in football and that’s the same way we should share bad moments. I had to do it,” Oyando told Gor Mahia website.
It’s been considered as one great gesture a fan can do to stand with other clubs during tragedies and for that, Oyando will get tickets for all Gor Mahia matches this season and be rewarded with a club’s authentic jersey as confirmed by the club’s CEO Lordvick Aduda.
“It was sad for Sala to die in that way and we as a club share our sincere condolences to the family, relatives, friends and his clubs,” the CEO told official Gor Mahia website.
Aduda added: “What Oyando did was one of the best things a fan can do during such times. Football is a sport but it brings the world together and she truly represented Gor Mahia in a big way. We will reward her with an official club’s jersey and she will get match tickets for the whole season as earlier communicated.”
The footballer, who had signed for Cardiff City but had not yet played a game for his new club, died after his plane crashed over the English Channel last month. Pilot David Ibbotson is also presumed dead, though his body has not yet been recovered.
– Additional reporting by CNN