The Briton reveals to Goal his happiness at seeing the former assistant at K’Ogalo shining at the Bankers in the top-flight
Dylan Kerr believes coach Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno made the right decision to leave FKF Premier League champions Gor Mahia and take charge at KCB.
The former international was handed the mantle to coach the Bankers on June 10, 2019, replacing Frank Ouna, who was fired following a series of poor results.
Otieno’s appointment came a few days after he had tendered in his resignation letter to leave Gor Mahia, a side he had helped to win another league title, and despite Caf Champions League football beckoning for the new season, he opted against staying.
Kerr, who coached Gor Mahia while assisted by Otieno in 2018, has now said the former defender’s decision to quit K’Ogalo was a good move because he has proven what he can do when given the top job with KCB.
The British tactician, who currently handles Marumo Gallants FC in South Africa’s PSL, has further said Otieno deserves to be crowned the best coach of the 2020-21 season because of what he has managed to achieve with the Bankers in his first season.
What has been said?
“Yes he did…he made the right choice to leave Gor Mahia for KCB and for me, he deserves to be the coach of the year,” Kerr told Goal on Wednesday.
“He has done well this year, I told him how proud he should be and how proud I am because of what he has done at KCB, I speak to him every day because I am happy with what he is building at KCB and to be honest, if they pick on merit, then he deserves to win the award for the year.”
Asked to explain his working relationship with Otieno while at K’Ogalo, Kerr said: “He was an assistant, who worked for me not against me and then chose to leave his beloved club, to try elsewhere, it is not easy to leave a club you love but he dared to make the move.
“But now the move is paying dividends for him, it is building him as a coach, and you never know, he will one day return to Gor Mahia as head coach and not assistant coach, so I respect his decision and I feel he has done enough this season.”
In his first season at KCB, Otieno has managed to challenge for the title as they are currently lying second on the 18-team table with 46 points from 22 matches, one fewer than leaders Tusker, who have 47.
Despite Tusker earning the Caf Champions League slot, the Bankers still have a chance to win the title by the time the season concludes on August 22.