Fufa elections: is it a choice between lesser of two evils

Betrayal is to Ugandan football what sex was to nineteenth-century Vienna: everybody does it and nobody talks about it. Held quadrennially, the Fufa elections always strip the sport of its vague appeal to common decencies. This year’s polls are no exception. Betrayals of common decency continue to run rife barely weeks into a process that does not hit a crescendo until August.
The District Football Associations polls, hardly a footnote in the process, have been highly charged. But they too -- even in reaching a climax yesterday -- have had to take a backseat with the war of words between immediate past Fufa president Lawrence Mulindwa and the football body’s current vice president Dennis Mbidde popping eyes.
All hell broke loose after a Whatsapp text message in which Mbidde likened Mulindwa to a leper for failing to take Uganda to the Africa Cup of Nations finals went viral. Mulindwa responded to the barb by scornfully referencing Mbidde’s unkempt beard. He also called the Fufa vice president (who is widely seen as a careless pit bull of Moses Magogo) a “hopeless cockroach.”
Mulindwa ended his tirade of abuse by making a thinly veiled threat to offer his candidature for the presidency. It was met by a roaring approval from the people who gave him an attentive audience at his family function. Days later, Mbidde called a media briefing where he held out an olive branch to Mulindwa. As well as literally begging for an issue-based bout of electioneering, Mbidde also reminisced about his Save our Soccer past that paved the way for Mulindwa to take the Fufa presidency reins all those years back.
Clearly, the smart PR move is intended to disarm Mulindwa and make him think twice about throwing his hat in the ring. Many doubt its efficacy. As such, the possible show-down between Mulindwa and Magogo will -- some contend -- leave voters facing a choice between the lesser of two evils. This observation pivots on a wealth of things. Mulindwa’s wild outburst showed that he is still anything but very presidential in his performances. Magogo is also no saint having superintended over probably the most opaque Fufa regime ever. The projection Magogo’s administration has given is one of a bunch of guys happy to get on the gravy train.

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Cricket Cranes grapple with wicketkeeping puzzle

• BACKBONE. Wicketkeepers are the backbone of a fielding unit. They pretty much knit together a team with their observations. Their proximity to opposing batsmen gives them a chance to put their finger on the pulse of opponents.

It’s always a good thing if the naming of a squad takes no one by surprise. After carrying out its work in a style dense with intelligence and compassion, the Uganda Cricket Association selectors must be flabbergasted to learn that their unveiling of Cricket Cranes’ squad for this month’s ICC World Cricket League tournament has not quietened the anxiety of some.
Having sifted through a chaotic diversity of competing interests for months, the selectors headed by Benjamin Musoke on Monday unveiled a 14-strong squad along with four reserves who are supposed to still have a fighting chance even in the fog of their uncertainty.
It was the inclusion of a far-from-fit Lawrence Sematimba amongst the near certainties that chafed on the nerves of some observers. It invited them to engage in hypotheticals, and while they were at it they found themselves grappling with a wicketkeeping puzzle that has the most chilling resonance.
Before injuring his groin, a vulnerability about Sematimba’s batting stood out much like the proverbial sore thumb. This left him looking every inch like a specialist wicketkeeper. No doubt Sematimba’s neat glove work is what got him on Uganda’s 14-strong squad.
You can understand where the selectors are coming from as crouching behind the stumps involves much more than just diving, catching and throwing. Wicketkeepers are the backbone of a fielding unit. They pretty much knit together a team with their observations. Their proximity to opposing batsmen gives them a chance to put their finger on the pulse of opponents.
Indeed a smart keeper brings much more to the team than runs. Intangibles such as judging the pitch, batsmen’s strengths and weaknesses plus bowlers mistakes can change the course of a game. If -- as is the case with Uganda -- you are going to have spinners gobble up an average of 25 overs per innings, you will need a keeper who rises with the ball beautifully. That keeper needs to be light on their feet and soft with their hands, boxes which a fully fit Sematimba easily ticks.
Having a part-timer like Arnold Otwani or Shahzad Kamal standing up to spinners can be a recipe for disaster.
Roger Mukasa did show during Uganda’s 4-0 series win over Kenya during the long Easter weekend that he can keep as well as bat high up the or-der. This column, however, understands that Cricket Cranes coach Steve Tikolo still harbours an intuitive understanding that wicketkeeping could compromise the perfor-mance of his best bat.
Although a keeper’s span of concentration usually takes a toll on them, Mukasa insists the huge mental effort won’t affect his batting.
The 27-year-old seems to have convinced Cricket Cranes skipper Davis Karashani who will in turn strong-arm Tikolo. From the looks of things, Mukasa will keep wickets during the ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament here in Uganda.
Otwani will possibly be the one that pads up when Karashani decides that Mukasa has to have a bowl. Otwani may not execute a stumping with a smart piece of work or have the presence of mind to say move down leg side to pre-empt a dismissal, but he will do the basics and make a contribution up the batting order. This means that the small lion that is Sematimba may find himself unable to roar. The prospect of specialist bat Lloyd Paternott taking the (specialist?) wicketkeeper’s place in Uganda’s final 14 cannot en-tirely be ruled out.

What we know

We know that KCCA FC took a giant stride towards defending its league title with a 1-0 win away to Express FC. The hard-fought win saw the Kasasiro Boys heave a sigh of relief after they had lost their proud unbeaten home record at the hands of Vipers SC midweek.
We also know that the Kasasiro Boys are ever so closer to a 12th league title because they not only hold a two-point lead over second-placed SC Villa but also a couple of games in hand. Villa ceded crucial ground in the title race by letting a 2-0 lead slip en route to sharing the spoils with Police FC.