As night follows day, Golola will be back!
aSon Of The Soil. It’s highly anticipated that Golola will be back. PHOTO BY JOHN BATANUDDE
If - as an old dictum reminds us - a week is a long time in politics, then it surely must feel like eternity in the murky world of sport. How else would you describe the display of outrageousness we got to witness this past week in Kitende and Villa Park for good measure! After an indifferent start to 2020, Edward Kaziba came menacingly close to becoming persona non grata at SC Villa.
When the Jogoos lost tamely at the hands of Busoga United, there was - perhaps unsurprisingly - an upswell in criticism. As things risked spinning out of control, most Villa faithful insisted with such tragic absurdity that Kaziba’s position at the club was clearly untenable. It was an easy and, one must add, wrong thing to say. It’s hard to tell what could have happened had Villa suffered defeat at St Mary’s Stadium two Fridays ago. Maybe we would be talking about Kaziba in the past tense.
Maybe not. One thing though is for sure: the smash-and-grab win pulled off in Kitende had such a calming effect at Villa Park. Aggression never quite erupted at the home of Uganda’s most successful club. Instead it has in a remarkable twist taken its bag of very familiar horror outcomes to Kitende. Vipers is in the market for a new coach after sending Edward Golola and his entire backroom staff on gardening leave. It was an outcome that seemed so inconceivable when Vipers got off to a flyer in the new decade. The midweek loss against third-tier Kajjansi United in the Uganda Cup was the second such result Golola was suffering in the space of six days. It was sufficient enough to see Vipers top brass break ranks with Golola in possibly the most virulent manner.
The merits and demerits of Golola’s sacking have been passionately discussed. Many have found it extremely disturbing that such a decision can be taken given how Golola has dealt with the klieg lights of the Uganda Premier League this season. The truth is that they should not be surprised at all. They should not also be surprised when (and not if) the next football management merry-go-round at Kitende brings Golola back at the wheel.
