Gor Mahia’s Omala reveals how he deals with constant criticism
By Joel Sang, October 14, 2023Gor Mahia striker Benson Omala has revealed how he deals with criticism that comes his way.
According to Omala, critics will talk about whether he scores or not, but his main focus is to find the back of the net and nothing else.
“My job is to score goals; that is what I want to do. It is hard, but as a player, you have to cope with everything.
“When you are doing good, people will talk; when you are bad, people will talk, so it is just you and the mental toughness you have that will keep you going,” Omala told a local sports show.
Mashemeji Derby goal
Omala is the top scorer in the Football Kenya Federation Premier League with six goals. Two of the goals came during their recent 2-0 win over AFC Leopards in the Mashemeji Derby.
In the previous Derby edition, he did not score, but he is grateful fans kept motivating him until he scored twice against the archrivals.
“In the last game (derby), I didn’t score, but I got some messages. I have been scoring in the other games, but if you do not score in one game, they start talking.
“The fans were telling me we need some goals in the derby, and I think they motivate me,” the former Kisumu Day Secondary School star said.
Omala was among the few noticeable players who did not receive a call-up for the next Harambee Stars friendly match against Russia.
Head coach Engin Firat overlooked the in-form scorer as Moses Shummah, Michael Olunga, Alfred Scriven, and Masoud Juma were summoned as strikers.
Despite his fine form in front of goal, the Gor Mahia top scorer for last season has failed to be a regular member of the national team.
He was subbed for the Iran friendly that was played in March and was called up for the Four-Nations tournament in Comoros before he was again left out for the subsequent friendlies against Qatar and South Sudan.