Journalists demand protection from re-emerging football hooligans
Uspa president Patrick Kanyomozi. PHOTO BY ISMAIL KEZAALA
KAMPALA- Sports journalists under their umbrella association, Uspa, have asked SC Villa officials in particular, to protect them from their supporters.
Separate incidents by Villa fans have threatened smooth work of the scribes, a thing Uspa President Patrick Kanyomozi says, must be stopped.
“We need to be respected. There is no reason that can justify hooliganism against any journalists,” he said while presiding over the monthly Nile Special Uspa meeting at Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala on Monday.
Last Saturday, KFM’s Abdu Wasike was reportedly beaten by rowdy Villa fans in the aftermath of the 1-0 loss to URA at Namboole.
Yet on December 14 last year, a section of the same fans stopped the media from interviewing their coach Douglas Bamweyana as they celebrated a 2-0 win over Express at Namboole.
Bukedde’s Muzamiru Mayiga was also threatened for his on-air comments regarding the acquisition of Manko Kawesa at the beginning of this season.
“We shall meet and discuss it with Villa’s executive because it is unwarranted,” Kanyomozi promised.
Kiplimo voted January’s best
Meanwhile, distance runner Jacob Kiplimo, who claimed his fifth IAAF Cross Country Permit win in Portugal on Sunday, was voted as the Nile Special Uspa Personality of January during the same sitting.
Polling 385 points ahead of teenage chess sensation Maria Nakanyike (345) and her counterpart Penina Nakabo (260), Kiplimo claimed his back-to-back accolade after December’s triumph.
Ahead of the World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus, Denmark on March 30, the 18-year-old won the men’s race ahead of Kenya’s Davis Kiplangat on Sunday. He has already won permit races in Spanish cities of Atapuerca, Soria, Alcobendas and Seville this season.
The run in Atapuerca was the opening race of the 2018-19 IAAF Cross Country Permit series, following it with a supreme race in November. His momentum continued in Alcobendas, before he overwhelmed Joshua Cheptegei in Sevilla on January 20.
