Chenga finals in Moroto remind us of our talent

What you need to know:

Last week I made the 472km journey from Kampala to Moroto for the 2016 edition of the Friends of Football-City Tyres Chenga finals.k I made the 472km journey from Kampala to Moroto for the 2016 edition of the Friends of Football-City Tyres Chenga finals.

The journey to north western Uganda was a scenic one that, from a personal perspective, enhanced my desire to discover the country more. I had never been to Karamoja region and I must say the area is one of the mushrooming places in the country.

Moroto in many ways made me fall in love with Uganda again; such was the nature of the trip.

I have since promised myself to make a trip back to the region, probably to Kotido and Kaabong next time.
My two days in Moroto were for the Chenga finals where the Eastern region emerged top after beating West Nile in a tense shoot-out.

Eastern and West Nile were the deserving finalists and it was a toss of the coin to decide who the better team was. But beyond the two teams, most of the teams had kids who displayed tremendous natural ability that easily caught the eye.

The Moroto team were amazing despite being knocked out early.

For nearly their entire squad, it was the first time they played in soccer boots and they put in a decent shift.

The sides from Kabale, Mbarara and Mbale showcased dexterity that could take some of their youngsters places.

Being kids whose emphasis is naturally on everything but tactics and formations, their game could appear unsystematic.

But beneath their disorderliness was raw skill that more often than not took the breath away.

This tournament, remember, was played by Denis Onyango, Denis Guma, Savio Kabugo, Dan Walusimbi, Oscar Agaba, Dan Wagaluka, Eddie Kenzo, Mike Mutyaba and Kizito Luwagga.

It has had as many hits as misses but by and large, it has helped churn out the bulk of several players around whom the national team is built.

It is a credit to Friends of Football directors David Kabanda, Eddie Butindo and David Katabira that 19 years after this revolution was started, it hasn’t folded.

Friends of Football (Fof) and their generous sponsors City Tyres of the Omar Mandela group in one way or another contributed to Uganda’s qualification to the 2016 Africa Cup of Nations.

With their team of dedicated individuals, Fof regularly visit all corners of the country through regional competitions from where they select the best teams.

And those best teams eventually qualify for the finals where they take one finalist from all over the country to chose the overall champion.

Between the ages of 9 and 14, Uganda’s talent can rival any country in the world. The Moroto event showed that our children have the God-given ability to favourably take on the world’s best teams.

Belt of talent
The problems for our belt of talent surface from the ages of 15 onwards because of varying reasons.
Most kids in the puberty stage are easily excitable and gullible and their futures tend to wander anywhere.

But likewise there is the pressure from family, parents or guardians on the need to prioritise education over sport given the few success stories in sport in Uganda.But perhaps the biggest drawback is the lack of qualified personnel to nurture talent at the most critical age of a footballer.

It is from ages 15 to 19 that many young footballers hone their skills. It is arguably the phase of highest importance for many a young footballer considering that with every other day, the age when professional players hit the big time gets lower and lower.

Old failings
The well-documented old failings of our game – poor coaching methods, lack of role models, ill-advice, impatient coaches, alcohol and drugs, neglect and witchcraft, dealing with fame etcetera – have tended to permeate through young careers with disastrous consequences.

The issues affecting mid and late teen football in the country are for another day but hopefully the Fufa U-17 League will go some way in streamlining youth potential.

What is not in doubt is that Uganda is as talented as any country in the world in the game football, a fact Friends of Football have proved time and again in the City Tyres-backed Chenga tournament.

My journey to Moroto is, in the literal sense, what Ugandan football needs to do – venture out of the capital to the countryside to unearth talent. There is a glorious wealth of potential in the game out there that the country hasn’t tapped adequately, like the stunning mountain ranges of Moroto and Kadama on the eastern border.

Fof’s contribution to the game has been immense. But they can only do so much.

Chenga is evidence that there are future stars within our borders who can make Afcon qualification a rule, not an exception.

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In the 90s and early 2000s, Uganda Cranes friendlies used to be against KCC (now KCCA FC), Express, SC Villa and Umeme. At best they were nothing more than glorified training sessions.

It is a sign of how far the national team has come that Cranes can now fly to West Africa to play a competitive friendly in preparation for a 2018 Fifa World Cup group qualifier against Ghana’s Black Stars.

Renowned FOF products
Dennis Onyango, Benjamin Ochan, Habib Kavuma, Joseph Ochaya, Ivan Ntege
Edward Ssali, Dennis Guma,Tonny Odur,
Erisa Ssekisambu, Keziron Kizito, Geoffrey Massa, Farouk Miya, Godfery Walusimbi, Dan Walusimbi, Dan Sserunkuma, Kassim Kasawuli, Steven Bengo, Saddam Juma