Violence in hockey; time to end the trend

What you need to know:

  • SAD EVENTS. Uganda Hockey Association just like clubs are responsible for this escalating and multi faceted trend that involves abusing umpires, playing with the intention to hurt plus abuse of both drugs and alcohol. It is common to see drunken players involved in matches.

KAMPALA.

“These acts of violence must pass and be seen as history.”
That was Uganda Hockey Association (UHA) chairman Lydia Dhamuzungu’s reaction to the regrettable incident that saw Wananchi players Derrick Akuwa and Eugene Swinnerstone Miheso beat up Kampala Hockey Club (KHC)’s Brian Okodi in the aftermath of the men’s Easter Cup final last Sunday for fouling their teammate Emmanuel Baguma during the game.
However, violence is so synonymous with local hockey that such events cannot simply be wished away. Not when violence has for long affected the number of people playing and funding hockey.
“For how long must we keep up with this?” KHC coach Bernard Bwire pondered as he recounted events of violence against his club.
The scenarios
Last year Wananchi’s Innocent Mbabali hit KHC’s Samuel Wakhisi shin bone during a league encounter.
The latter did not play hockey for two months while in 2015 Mbabali and William Oketcha received a one match ban each after a scuffle with KHC’s Henry Kafuuma. In the aftermath of another league encounter between Wananchi and Weatherhead last year, the former’s forward Andrew Lubega jumped from the stands to kick KHC goalkeeper Michael Mafabi after a verbal exchange.
Mbabali was also involved in a scuffle with United States International University (USIU)’s James Mwangi that left the latter with a cut on his chin during last year’s Easter Cup. Little wonder the Kenyan side did not here travel this year.
“We do everything that can propel our team to victory,” Akuwa has in the past explained the overly physical hockey Wananchi instigate.
He is not alone. KHC Swans love to shout ‘musayi’ in their matches – an indication they are willing to bleed for the cause.
But on Good Friday when Swans defender Pamela Agaba had her raised stick cut the face of Wananchi Ladies’ Teopista Anyango, it was the former’s teammate Patricia Namubiru, in an unprecedented show of good sportsmanship, that walked off the pitch with her team trailing 1-0 to treat the opponent.
In deep contrast, when this writer pleaded with Akuwa not to beat KHC players on Sunday, the Wananchi player asked; “why KHC players? No player must be beaten.” Yet one wonders why Akuwa’s actions betrayed his thoughts and utterances in the same instance.
Akuwa and Miheso were hugely backed by teammate and police officer John Odong, who blamed umpires for failing to control the game, while Joshua Gumisiriza demanded that “junior players (Okodi) must respect seniors.”
Okodi had served a 10 minute suspension in the 40 minute game for his foul on Baguma and was not involved in any direct exchange with either Akuwa or Miheso.
Escalated problem
Akuwa on the other hand had missed the mandatory ‘match inspection’ because he was only available for selection in the final after half time.
Suffice to say Akuwa is no stranger to violence as he was among the players that were banned from the national team by former UHA head Dunstan Nsubuga ahead of the Olympic qualifiers in 2011. Uganda has had no national team since.
UHA just like clubs are responsible for this escalating and multi faceted trend that involves abusing umpires, playing with the intention to hurt plus abuse of both drugs and alcohol. It is common to see drunken players involved in matches.
Last year, Rockets Hockey Club showed decisiveness when they banned their own Wilson Olum for six months after he beat teammate Isaac ‘Boxer’ Oryem during a league encounter with Simba.
Despite banning Wananchi’s Andrew Lubega for two games after beating Bwire last year, UHA has usually skirted around several violence-related cases. The most notable one saw umpire Kenneth Tamale, who is now assistant treasurer UHA, escape punishment despite beating up KHC’s Timothy Ntumba at last year’s Easter Open.
It is for such reasons that there is little trust in the UHA, even with the new executive, to handle such incidents and why individuals like Bwire opted to report last Sunday’s incident to Jinja Road Police.
“We have not taken action against violence in the past because of the Nairobi incident that pitted clubs supporting individual members against the executive committee (excomm) then. It became a political issue,” Wafula reasoned.
His critics have duly reminded him that he together with Saddam Hussein – the organization secretary and Fatuma Namubiru – former treasurer now turned committee member – were part of a largely toothless executive that did little to champion violence free hockey.
Interestingly, the umpires of Sunday’s finals Michael Nashimolo and Tamale are part of this executive as vice chairperson and assistant treasurer. Therefore it is also in their best interest that Akuwa and Miheso are brought to book by a tribunal that includes Dr Donald Rukare, Emmanuel Okello, David Ssemakula Katende, Daniel Ligyalingi and Peter Kizito. Among other things that UHA should champion is a players’ code of conduct, security and medical assistance at games, strict guidelines on discipline ahead of tournaments and in the wake of Bwire’s letter, where he wondered if Akuwa could have been under the influence of any intoxicating substance, anti-doping mechanisms.
It is also hard to dismiss the notion that these issues are exacerbated by the lack of coaches in the country when some of those involved in ‘coaching’ have been perpetrators of violence or abuse of umpires.
Hockey needs redemptive narratives. Therefore violence must be dealt with decisively both individually and collectively.