Uganda@60: How did we get it wrong in our football?

Over the weekend on October 9, Uganda marked 60 years of Independence. The monumental occasion was celebrated with an array of milestones and testimonies that highlight the journey from 1962 to date.

Much as there is a lot to celebrate in the spheres of politics, society, and economy, there is little to talk about in football.

We have become accustomed to celebrating Ugandan football’s greatest feats from the 1970s as opposed to current trends.

From the early 1920s when Sir Daudi Chwa championed the growth of football in the county, Uganda was always not far away from the best on the continent.

A competition was developed where top teams like Nsambya FC, Bitumastic and East Mengo fairly competed for honours.

Even in the late 80s when football was a key government entity to keep the youth busy, the top brass of the army frequented league matches, especially those involving SC Villa.

The irony is that much as Ugandans are associated with clubs serving their interests, today, most football fans support teams based on colonial undertones. 

Historical chronology shows that even at a time when everything about the game was rudimental, Uganda somehow was among the best on the continent. Many people may not even remember that Uganda qualified for five Afcons between 1962 and 1978. Back then, only the top 12 teams on the continent would qualify.

So, to have Uganda regularly making it to Afcon ranks as one of the most underrated feats in our football history. This is so because today, fans are forced to celebrate qualifying for a 24-team event.

We derive legends such as Jimmy Kirunda, Phillip Omondi, Tom Lwanga, Moses Nsereko, and Eddie Semwanga, among others, from that golden era. Even after them, the likes of Magid Musisi, Jackson Mayanja, Sam Ssimbwa, and Steven Bogere, among others, did a tremendous job to carry the Ugandan flag through the eighties and nineties.

What’s disheartening is that over the last decade, Ugandan football has stagnated despite the best efforts by the government to promote it.

President Museveni has stood out for his continuous rallying calls to promote the game. The government had pumped billions to see to it that Uganda succeeds yet results on the ground point to a different picture.

We are currently going through one of the worst spells of football simply because the people running the game are not volunteers as it is supposed to be. They are instead deal brokers who are out to milk whatever they can from the game.

For instance, the government has over the past 10 years increased the football budget from just Shs4b to Shs17b yet in that period, the standards of the game have deteriorated.

It is really unfortunate that exactly 30 years since Uganda first imported a top-class talent to a European Big-Five league in the name of Magid Musisi, no single player has managed to follow in his footsteps.

Even in the national team set-up, we are yet to get players comparable to greats like Jimmy Kirunda, Tom Lwanga, Paul Hasule, or Jackson Mayanja.

Today, we have mercenary-like players on the national team who are out to execute tasks instead of representing the nation. In football terms, they are not even worthy to carry the bags of the legends.

Matters are not helped by the absence of a robust football administration structure.

Today, a person’s rise is dependent on loyalty to authority rather than competence and as a result, many top football brains have been forced to abandon the cause of revamping the sport. Back in the day when I was starting to  follow football, we had eminent people like Patrick Kawooya, Jack Ibaale,

Jaberi Bidandi Ssali, Patrick Kiwanuka, Elvis Adipondo, and many others. Some of them were civil servants but they did everything in their might to promote the sport, today we have sycophants running the game.

So, as I reflect on the 60 years of Ugandan football, my heart bleeds for the lack of gallant individuals who went out of their way to promote the sport. I know President Museveni is doing his best to promote the sport with a view of getting the youth active and employed but unfortunately, the people in charge of the sport are doing the opposite.

Which makes me question; how did we get it wrong in our football?

The writer is business-oriented Ugandan