Express will stick with committed Red Eagles
Captain Disan Galiwango (R) and teammates before a league encounter this season. PHOTO BY JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
- SOCCER. Express chairman Kiryowa Kiwanuka says the club will not be held at ransom by players for big money, but that they will do all within their powers to make the side competitive.
Express insist they will continue pressing to get back to their former competitive self despite consistently cutting a picture of a selling club in recent years.
The six-time national champions have struggled to position themselves amongst title challengers since their last in 2012, and have dangerously flirted with relegation in the last couple of years.
The Red Eagles have also struggled with leadership, only starting to have a semblance of direction when Kiryowa Kiwanuka took over in August 2018; helping bring in sponsors like Equity Bank and championing awareness against hooliganism.
However, player and coaching turnover has hardly ceased over the years.
Express kicked off the current season with only six players from the previous campaign, their prized asset in defender John Revita among those that were let go.
No ransom
Revita’s departure to rivals KCCA in August last year and the club’s failure to show more cause in player recruitments is one of the causes of agitation at Wankulukuku, but Kiwanuka says the club will not be held at ransom.
“Like I said,” Kiwanuka told Sunday Monitor, “We cannot force a player to stay if indeed they want to leave.”
Coach George Ssimwogerere argued that his 2019/20 squad of fairly fresh faces was meant to mutate into “a team that would be competitive in the years to come,” although the club legend could not live to see that as poor results had him replaced by the returning Wasswa Bbosa.
Striker Michael Birungi, Arthur Kiggundu, Shafiq Kakeeto and Julius Ntambi are among others were let go at the end of last season.
Resources will determine
Express were not able to keep the stylish defender, Revita, for example, because they could not match his wage demands, with KCCA willingly taking advantage. We cannot independently verify the amounts.Kiwanuka insists Express will only do what they can in the transfer market, and that that does not mean are not hungry and ambitious.
“The transfer market participation is determined by the resources available to the club. We shall get players based on the resources we have available.”
On claims that the players are leaving the club because they are not being tied down to long term contracts, the advocate said “Express has contracts for most players for 3 years” and that will continue.
Express and SC Villa used to boss the transfer market and title duels alongside KCCA in yesteryears, but the former duo have since fallen off the pack, leaving the reigning national champions and current table leaders Vipers run the show.
The Eagles are currently ninth on the league table with 31 points from 25 matches. The league has five more rounds to go.
Coach George Ssimwogerere argued that his 2019/20 squad of fairly fresh faces was meant to mutate into “a team that would be competitive in the years to come,” although the club legend could not live to see that as poor results had him replaced by the returning Wasswa Bbosa.
Striker Michael Birungi, Arthur Kiggundu, Shafiq Kakeeto and Julius Ntambi are among others were let go at the end of last season.
Kiwanuka says Express will operate within their means. PHOTO BY EDDIE CHICCO
Resources will determine
Express were not able to keep the stylish defender, Revita, for example, because they could not match his wage demands, with KCCA willingly taking advantage.
We cannot independently verify the amounts. Kiwanuka insists Express will only do what they can in the transfer market, and that that does not mean are not hungry and ambitious. “The transfer market participation is determined by the resources available to the club. We shall get players based on the resources we have available.”
No long term contracts
On claims that the players are leaving the club because they are not being tied down to long term contracts, the advocate said “Express has contracts for most players for 3 years” and that will continue.
Express and SC Villa used to boss the transfer market and title duels alongside KCCA in yesteryears, but the former duo have since fallen off the pack, leaving the reigning national champions and current table leaders Vipers run the show.
The Eagles are currently ninth on the league table with 31 points from 25 matches. The league has five more rounds to go.
Express squad
Goalkeepers: Mathias Muwanga,
Tonny Kyamera and Joshua Adea
Defenders: Disan Galiwango,
Emmanuel Baffoe, Hamis Batega,
Cyrus Cruise Kibande, Martin Kizza,
Peter Mutebi, Hamdan Nsubuga, Sadiq
Ssekyembe, Joseph Zziwa, Muhammed
Yiga
Midfielders: Dennis Sserukwaya,
Frank Ssenyondo, Joshua Ssentambule,
Daniel Shabena Enock Ssebayala,
Joshua Musoke, Lawrence Kigonya,
Andrew Kiwanuka, Edris Kaye, Isaac
Doka, Shafiq Avemah
Forwards: Ivan Ocholit, Frank
Kalanda, Axel Konan
Some of the players that left Express ahead of this season
Michael Birungi, John Revita, Arthur Kiggundu, Shafiq Kakeeto, Tony Odur, Julius Ntambi, Ibrahim Kayiwa, Arthur Kiggundu, Badru Nsubuga, Mubaraka Nsubuga.
*Notable to leave in in the last couple of years is also Daniel Sserunkuma, who joined Vipers in January of 2018 to help the Venoms to that season’s league title.
