Gor Mahia head coach Carlos Manuel vaz Pinto edged out compatriots Patrick Aussems of rivals AFC Leopards and KCB’s Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno to be crowned the Kenyan Premier League coach of the month for May.
The Portuguese trainer was an easy pick for the crown, having led the defending champions to four wins back to back throughout the month of May. He mirrored 1-0 results against Wazito, Vihiga United and City Stars while his side came from a goal down to beat Sofapaka 2-1 and complete a clean sweep in the month of March.
Speaking as he received his award on Tuesday, the coach was full of praise for his players and technical staff for aiding him get the recognition.
“This is for my team; my players and my technical bench. It is not only mine, but the result of teamwork. The players put in a lot of commitment and work for us to get this. When a coach is coach of the month, it is because the people around him have worked well,” said the tactician.
Gor Mahia coach Carlos Manuel vaz Pinto with his award
“We showed a lot of commitment and focus as a team and we have tried to put in a winning mentality in the players that is why the results have been good. I always tell the players they have to compete first among themselves in training, then also compete with other teams on match day. Because of this, we achieved good results in May,” Pinto further explained.
He hopes that the recent award will be a morale booster to his side as they look to successfully defend their title, despite dropping points in the last two games. The draw against Wazito and a defeat to Western Stima have left the defending champions out of pace with league leaders Tusker FC.
“I still believe we can be champions at the end of the season. We just need to take game by game and try to keep winning. We have a good mentality and fighting spirit in the team and hopefully, we get the best results,” stated the coach.
Gor will be facing Bandari in their next fixture at the Utalii Grounds on Wednesday.
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