Players want Mugabi out

Badminton. National coach Simon Mugabi didn’t respond to allegations about him wielding too much power in the sport.

KAMPALA.

About 43 male and six female senior players did not show up at this year’s Bank of Baroda Badminton Open at the Lugogo MTN Arena over the weekend.
Youngsters got their day in the light. Daniel Mihigo, 17, defeated Davis Senono 21-19 21-16 to win the men’s singles on Sunday to crown the three-day showpiece.

However, all three men’s top seeds – Wilson Tukire, Brian Suuna and Fred Kirabo – refused to take part. Herbert Ebayo, an U-19 player, says he is quitting. “I will never play a single event unless he (Simon Mugabi) leaves this sport,” Ebayo vowed.

They are at loggerheads with national team coach Simon Mugabi. “We are not happy and we need an intervention,” said Kirabo, the third seed. “We received invitational letters that required a registration fee of Shs5,000 per event which has not been the case before,” he said. Mugabi didn’t respond to the allegation directly. “I got most of them from the streets when they were beggars,” Mugabi told Daily Monitor.