Villa presidential hopeful promises essential change

Talking tough. SC Villa presidential aspirant Agaba speaking to Sunday Monitor. PHOTO By ISMAIL KEZAALA

What you need to know:

  • The side, founded in 1975 and incorporated in 1995 as SC Villa Limited, tumbled into a crisis in 2010 under interim leadership following the political animosity between then club president Fred Muwema and Fufa.

KAMPALA. Change will come one day. But for now, SC Villa, Uganda’s most successful football club, is in a crisis.
City lawyer Edgar Agaba represents a promise of return to sanity.
After SC Villa’s elections scheduled for July 14 in Masaka were called off by the Fufa over irregularities, Agaba talks of what promises to be an epic tussle over the seat demanding that if a deal is not struck before the league kick off in August, SC Villa should be put under administration.

The incumbent president Immanuel Ben Misagga was set to face off with little known Kanungu-based businessman Sostin Atwine. Fufa halted the poll demanding instant review of the club statutes but will recogne Misagga’s tenure till December 31.

Good old days
“The time has come to build real change,” Agaba said in his first public interview on the electoral process, promising a future leaning on share sales, corporate governance, revival of branches and constitutional review.
Ushered into office in August 2014 with great promise, Misagga earned Villa the Uganda Cup in 2015 and only missed the league title by a whisker last season amidst financial challenges.

Agaba, CEO of Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board and a players’ representative says he will install a 70-man staff to realise this dream. The process, the Kitara region delegate says, will cost about Shs200m.
Agaba is backed by historicals; Omar Mandela, William Nkemba, Vincent Bagiire, Fred Muwema, Allan Papaok, whom he says wants to take back Villa from grabbers.
He believes that their presence sheds away any suspicions left by tainted years of conflict.

Years in limbo
“Now that we have successfully managed to have Fufa realise that the process was wrong, we want to sort the big question of ownership,” Agaba, who refused to pick nomination forms for what he calls an illegal process, said.
He loathes Misagga’s leadership which he says has denied the club a golden opportunity to shine.

“We cannot blame everything on Misagga because some of the mess is nested in history. It was fashionable during the early days for a club president to use money from his pockets to run a club, but not now.”
He blames Misagga for attempting to ‘steal the club’s history and CV’.
“He cheats everyone including players and Villa has no players but mercenaries. How can we lose all our captains to rivals?”.
Isaac Muleme, Bernard Muwanga and Tadeo Lwanga, men who have worn the SC Villa armband have joined KCCA and Vipers.

Fundamental question
Ownership is at the heart of all controversy surrounding of SC Villa.
The side, founded in 1975 and incorporated in 1995 as SC Villa Limited, tumbled into a crisis in 2010 under interim leadership following the political animosity between then club president Fred Muwema and Fufa.
Shortly afterwards, the Jogoos were taken over by Misagga who registered them as Villa Jogoo Uganda Limited.
Misagga is taking his time to prepare for the 2018/19 season but if Agaba ever takes office, he will inherit a team rife with deep polarization — an all-too-familiar phenomenon in Ugandan football.