Goal difference is all that mattered for KCC
Standing, L-R: Joseph Sekitto (RIP), Fred Mugisha (RIP), Charles Katumba (RIP), Peter Mazinga, Frank Kyazze.
Front row, L-R: Tom Lwanga, Paul Ssali, Fredrick Musisi Kiyingi, John Ross Latigo, Hassan Biruma.
What you need to know:
SOCCER. The 1985 season will remain one of the most dramatic in Ugandan football. Four teams; Coffee FC, SC Villa, KCC and Express all had a chance of winning the league. But KCC clinched the trophy in style, drawing one game in the first round and beating Express to the title on goal difference. Both teams finished on 38 points but KCC’s 3-0 win over Uganda Airlines gave them a superior goal difference over Express, who defeated Nile 2-1. Here we bring you the team that pulled off the feat
Joseph Sekitto (RIP): He was a midfielder who could also play as a striker and one of the pioneers at City Cubs, KCC’s feeder club. He passed away in the early 1990s.
Fred Mugisha (RIP): He first made his name at Uganda Transport Company (UTC FC), then Coffee FC, before joining KCC in 1981. His height helped him to impose himself on opponents in the heart of midfield. He played for The Cranes in the 1979 Cecafa and left KCC for Bell FC in 1988 and became its coach in 1990. He died on June 22, 2001.
Charles Katumba (RIP): Very talented in that he could use either foot to play and also good in the air. According to Tom Lwanga, his former teammate, Katumba was a dependable player across the backline. But he will always be infamously remembered for gifting Cameroon’s Omam-Biyik a goal in a crunch 1988 Afcon qualifier, which gifted the West Africans qualification. He died on May 11, 2009. He was the father to former Villa defender Tom Ssemwogerere.
The ever-smart Lwanga was a clinical defender in his heyday and went on to coach KCC in the mid 90s.
Peter Mazinga: A winger with pace and good crosses, he tormented defenders and created a lot of chances for the likes of Frank Kyazze. Currently based in Luweero.
Frank Kyazze: Nicknamed ‘The Assassin’ for his goals off both feet and head. He first played for UTC FC, Coffee and SC Villa. He led the scorers’ charts in 1984 and 1985. Lwanga believes that had not it been for injuries, Kyazze was on mark to become the best Ugandan striker of his generation. He is now into private business and politics.
Tom Lwanga: Believed to be one of the best Ugandan defenders ever. He joined KCC in 1972 from Fiat FC. He was part of the Cranes team that played at the 1976 Afcon finals in Ethiopia and played all five games during the 1978 edition. In 1979, he joined UAE’s Ras al Khaim but returned to KCC in 1982. Lwanga is a CAF A Coaching License holder. He is into private business and remains one of the most respected local ex-footballers alive.
Paul Ssali: For his consistency in Simba, KCC and the Uganda Cranes, Ssali is believed to be the best-ever Ugandan goalkeeper. He impressed for Masindi Barracks during the 1972 Inter-Battalion tourney and joined Simba in 1973. His Cranes debut came during the 1976 Cecafa. He was first-choice goalie when Uganda reached the Afcon finals in 1978. Ssali was jailed after the fall of Idi Amin and joined KCC after his release. He is a top agitator for women’s football and a coaches’ delegate in the Fufa Assembly. Ssali is also a Councillor in the Wakiso District Council, where he also serves as secretary for gender. He is the father to former Vipers and Express striker Andy Ssali.
Musisi is now a celebrated sports journalist having successfully manned the KCC left wing.
Fredrick Musisi Kiyingi: A flying left winger, Musisi’s crucial goals kept KCC afloat many times. Growing up, he had a role model in his brother, Dan Lutalo, who was at Coffee. Musisi played for Coffee, Nytil and Uganda Commercial Bank (UCB) before joining KCC in 1981.
He scored crucial goals including the winner against SC Villa in the 1982 Uganda Cup quarterfinal. In the semis against Express, he also scored the winner. He was called up to the Cranes for the friendly against Nigeria but it came at a time when KCC were preparing for the 1984 Cecafa Cup. He chose the latter. He retired from football in 1985. He started his journalism at the Soccer World, Ngoma newspaper and finally Daily Monitor, where he is the foreign sports editor and editor of Ennyanda, a Luganda weekly sports newspaper.
John Ross Latigo: His talent enabled him to play as a full-back, centre half and striker. Latigo’s potential came to the fore in 1979 when Jimmy Kirunda left for UAE. Playing as a right back then, he was called upon to fill Kirunda’s void in the centre of defence and he duly did. Latigo was made Cranes captain after Kirunda’s retirement in 1983 and he kept the armband until 1985. During the 1985 and 1988 seasons, Latigo switched to a striker’s role and scored a couple of goals. In 1987, he was appointed coach/player and won the Uganda Cup. He is currently settled in the UK.
Hassan Biruma: Nicknamed ‘Super Sub’ for his crucial displays off the bench, Biruma is the father to Cranes midfielder, Hassan Wasswa. He could comfortably play across the frontline, midfield and wings. He joined KCC in 1976 from Masaka Union and got his debut 1977.
In his first two seasons, Biruma scored 27 goals, which earned him a call-up to the Cranes and became a national player until 1981. He works with Astra Pharma (Uganda) Limited, along Colville Street.
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