Top scorer Sserunkuma still waiting for his golden boot

Kampala. Vipers marksman Daniel Sserunkuma might be banging in the goals for his club but the striker is not a happy man.
He already has seven league goals to his name, only three behind leading scorer in SC Villa’s Bashir Mu-tanda, after Vipers 13 matches.
This is in addition to 17 he top-scored with in the league’s last campaign, six of them coming while at Express and 11 in the second round at Vipers after his January move from the Red Eagles.
You would have thought that Sserunkuma’s goals and overall contribution towards Vipers’ third league title would have him as hot favourite to land the 2018 Male Player of the Year at the Fufa-UPL/Airtel Awards.
But the dreadlocked man did not even make the final three-man shortlist that had eventual winner in Sserunkuma’s teammate Moses Waiswa, Onduparara attacker Viane Sekajugo and KCCA’s creative spark Allan Okello.
If that riled the soft-spoken Sserunkuma, the former Gor Mahia superstar simply let it pass.
But what he is not ready to let go without a challenge is his golden boot, which Fufa and StarTimes Uganda Premier League (SUPL) organisers – who now hold joint awards after merging late last year ago - did not provide.
“I’ve never received it and for me this is strange,” Sserunkuma, who is preparing to face Tunisia’s Sfax-ien in the Caf Confederation Cup first leg play-off on Saturday, told the Daily Monitor.
“It will be the first time since I was young to never receive the golden boot when I was the top scorer.”
Sserunkuma already has two senior career golden boots in his accolades cabin for being top scorer in the Kenya Premier League and GoTV Cup. He also picked up the gong several times in his youth foot-ball.
“I’m not asking for much; just the golden boot; something to remember about my efforts that sea-son.”
According to Vipers publicist Abdu Wasike, the club will get one for their striker.
“Sserunkuma asked if the club can make him an accolade to show that he was the top scorer of the 2017/18 season,” said Wasike.
“And we are going to do so because he is our player though we ask UPL to kindly deliver the golden boot. Other past top scorers were awarded, why is Sserunkuma being undermined?”
Robert Ssentongo and Geoffrey Sserunkuma, 18 and 21 goals respectively for URA and KCCA, were awarded their top-scoring accolade in the first two awards editions.
When asked for comment, Fufa head of communications Ahmed Hussein said the category is not ca-tered for in the Fufa-UPL/Airtel Awards.
“We agreed with UPL (for them) to reward those already determined winners,” Hussein explained to Daily Monitor, “…like top scorers., keeper with most clean sheets, and any other that may not fall in the Fufa Awards category, and don’t look like duplication.
“They (UPL) can do that on the day the season is closing like we do for regional leagues and Fufa Big League (FBL).
UPL CEO Bernard Bainamani admitted the mishap and promised to address it.
“They (top scorer and best goalkeeper) missed only this year due to transition challenges from UPL organised to Fufa/UPL organised awards. But we shall handle moving forward.” Asked if they would get Sserunkuma the boot, Bainamani said “We are considering it and we shall give updates on it.”