The youngster expressed his ambition to play for K’Ogalo if a chance presented itself to him but that innocent admission has not been taken lightly by the Ingwe faithful.
AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia remain the main rivals in Kenyan football even though K’Ogalo have bossed the league in the last 12 years.
Gor Mahia also enjoy a better record against Ingwe, having claimed more Mashemeji derby victories but that does not mean the rivalry has died.
That is why it is not common for players to move between the two clubs and on the rare occasion when that happens, the player is branded a ‘traitor.’
So, when a Gor Mahia or AFC Leopards player flirts with either side, he finds himself on the receiving end as supporters are always quick to remind him of some of the cardinal rules.
AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda has opened up on the reasons behind the club not stopping payments to former coach Tomas Trucha despite exiting Ingwe in November.
Even if Gor Mahia remain the most successful and attractive local team currently, flirting with them in public for an AFC Leopards player attracts attack, insults and abuses and this is exactly what Ingwe youngster Kelly Madada finds himself dealing with.
During a recent interview with Azam Sports, Madada was asked some quickfire questions and it started well but ended badly, albeit innocently, for the Shanderema Secondary School alumni.
Having answered about his pre-match meal and how he cools tension before taking to the pitch, Madada was asked to name a rival player he would like to play with, and it was his response that has now landed him in trouble with the Ingwe faithful.
“Ronney Onyango, Alphonce Omija and Austin Odhiambo,” Madada replied regarding the players he would like to play alongside, after which he was asked if he would swap Ingwe for K’Ogalo if the chance presented itself to him.
“When the time is right, why not?” he replied, expressing his ambition to play for the record Kenyan champions.
However, while it was just a young player showing his admiration for some of the best players in the league and the country’s top team, Leopards fans would hear none of it and they went hard on him online.
Leopards last won the league in 1998, even before Madada was born, and have had to watch as Gor win title after title.
There is still no sign of that drought ending soon, given their inconsistencies, and it is perhaps why their players are expressing ambitions to play for Gor Mahia, who can guarantee success, the rivalry between the clubs notwithstanding.
