Sserunjogi’s in-tray points to a daunting task ahead

Last Sunday, news that a sizeable chunk of delegates had balloted to hand Nasser Sserunjogi the Fuba presidency landed like a dead weight.
The result came as a complete surprise as much to the vanquished - Grace Kwizera - as the victor. A palpable pinch-me-I’m-dreaming astonishment that could neither be strained nor falsified coursed through Sserunjogi’s voice as he delivered his acceptance speech.

There was unanimity after that a bruising if telling defeat at the ballot had been visited on Kwizera because his pitch fell on the indifferent ears of the second-tier clubs. The clubs make up the vast majority of Fuba’s fairly large electorate so much so that you need them in your corner for the distinct possibility of success to materialise.

Conspiracy theories abound as to why Kwizera’s success at winning over second-tier clubs was limited. Some say he was candid to a fault; others hold that he didn’t lack the inhibition of speaking a ‘language’ that’s not alien to the said clubs. All of these anecdotal claims are terribly hard to prove as is the assertion that those at the bottom of the hoops food chain feared an existential threat under a Kwizera presidency.

The threat - real or imagined - cannot be dismissed out of hand. Its fears are rooted in the rather harmless fact that Kwizera’s coterie of friends - who formed the spine of his campaign team - announced themselves to the Uganda basketball fraternity by breathing life into the national teams and making City Oilers the force of nature that it is. While the latter undertaking had its magnetic moments, not least the Silverbacks qualifying for consecutive AfroBasket championships, it supposedly brought to widespread attention the problem of putting the cart ahead of the horse.

Sensing a ferocious appetite from the bottom of the hoops food chain to grow the game from the grassroots, Sserunjogi went to work. The rest as they say is history. There is, however, a folly in all of this.

Thankfully, it hasn’t taken Sserunjogi long to notice that the influence of his presidency will have to extend far beyond the reaches of the inner sanctum promised by his campaign. Contrary to commonly held belief, growing the game from the grassroots is not exhaustive. If anything, it needs commitment along with deep pockets. What with the extensive network of facilities and coaches needed to develop talent from embryonic to other stages.

The decent performances of the basketball national teams are what helped the sport gain priority status. The rating comes with a Shs 1bn kitty from government. To maintain that grant from government, the national teams will have to perform. And perform well. Which is why Sserunjogi sought audience with Hajji Mohamed Santur this past week. He badly needs for Santur - who openly threw his weight behind Kwizera on the campaign trail - to maintain that apparatus that made the national teams tick under outgoing president, Ambrose Tashobya.

Sserunjogi has also found himself having to do an extensive round of diplomacy with National Council of Sport’s general secretary, Patrick Ogwel. The two previously were involved in a legal arm-wrestle. The new Fuba president swiftly moved to extend an olive branch this past week. The talks were said to be cordial and positive. Whether the hatchet was buried, however, remains to be seen.
Ugandan basketball’s health and wellbeing will most definitely pivot on the relationship.

AFRICAN RUGBY

No love lost as rugby body goes to the polls

Yesterday Rugby Afrique had an elective assembly in Marrakech. The Moroccan fortified old city is renowned for its labyrinth of souks, and sure enough mass produced garments dominated the narrative at the African Rugby Summit. But probably not in the manner one would expect.

After 17 years of having the Rugby Afrique presidency cut out of one garment, the elective assembly returned a name bar that of Abdelaziz Bougja as bearer of the continent’s top rugby job.

Bougja did not go gentle into that good night. No. He raged and raged about the dying of the light. He wants to be remembered as a statesman who grew the rugby governing body’s membership from 16 to 40.

His parting gift of initiating 459,000 egg chasers in 2018 alone has also been trumpeted.
As has the swelling of finances from a paltry $80,000 to nearly $3m.

All these feats point to what surely can’t be likened to a poisoned chalice.
Yet a missive sent by former Uganda Rugby Union President, Paul Sigombe this past week makes it abundantly clear that African rugby is in serious danger of losing its bearings completely.

Sigombe went after the persona and character of Bougja with granular detail that was as chilling as it was brazen.
Put simply, Sigombe - who once served as Rugby Afrique vice president (more on that vice presidency shortly) — said Bougja used all sorts of dark arts to stay at the helm of African rugby for nearly two decades.

What further so infuriated Sigombe was that Bougja has obstinately refused to disabuse the Francophone-leaning half of Rugby Afrique of the notion that it is okay to rule in perpetuity. A rotational presidency and vice presidency oscillating between the polar opposites of Francophone and Anglophone countries was agreed to, but it has never seen the light of day.

Yesterday’s 13th General Assembly in Marrakech brought a different cleavage that could well complicate relations between the rugby unions of Uganda and Kenya. The two Anglophone countries were by the time of writing this column expected to field candidates for the portfolio of vice president (Uganda’s Andrew Owor and Kenya’s Richard Omwela).

Since Sigombe once served as vice president, Kenya was hoping Uganda would support Omwela’s candidature.
With no such support forthcoming, Kenya has threatened to sever ties with Uganda in the event that Owor beats Omwela.
Both men are expected to relinquish their roles as presidents of their rugby unions later this month.
It won’t be the last of hear of either them or Bougja for that matter!

What we now know....

We know that Police FC coach Abdallah Mubiru has made it categorically clear that Juma Balinya has what it takes to wear the national strip. The fleet-footed attacker has scored 13 goals and assisted a further five during the Cops’ entertaining displays in the Uganda Premier League.
We know that such glowing statistics have undoubtedly made him the find of the season. Whether Sebastien Desabre can fast track him into the national set up as he did Patrick Kaddu, however, remains to be seen.

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@robertmadoi