Prime
How Pool Cranes failed African test, without trying
Bob Trubish, the Pool Association of Uganda chairman speaks during the official opening of Blacksheep Arena in Mukono. PAU is under fire for failing to take the national team to South Africa. PHOTO/GEORGE KATONGOLE
What you need to know:
There was a subdued attention of the championship, which is usually set ablaze by Ugandan players. Livestream counts, for instance, averaged 200 views when Aden Carl Joseph, Africa’s top player was in action. Yet when he played Uganda’s Caesar Chandiga in a money challenge last month, more than 3000 people were online.
On the spooky Friday, October 13, the Pool Association of Uganda (PAU) received Shs155m from the government, the highest amount of money they have received in recent years. Yet it was a fated day as the national team, the Pool Cranes, officially announced withdrawal from the All Africa Pool championships in South Africa.
The week-long event concluded on Sunday with South Africa dominating the championship at home. Uganda women were the defending champions and the men were bronze medallists from last year’s event in Zambia.
There was a subdued attention of the championship, which is usually set ablaze by Ugandan players. Livestream counts, for instance, averaged 200 views when Aden Carl Joseph, Africa’s top player was in action. Yet when he played Uganda’s Caesar Chandiga in a money challenge last month, more than 3000 people were online.
Apologies
While the association normally does its activities covertly, fate conspired to strip them naked!
The official explanation for the missed action was the delayed issuance of visas by the South African High Commission in Uganda.
“Unfortunately, the arrival of today’s batch of passports with visas didn’t include those of our national team. The Cranes shall therefore, entirely miss the African championships this year. We have a very passionate following and we have let them down,” Peter Kyobe, PAU’s publicity secretary, said.
It was a good reason to believe as the High Commission is believed to have a complicated process that usually exceeds the normal incubation period of seven days! Sadly, it’s just a tiny fraction of the problem. In fact, an excuse.
When the Sports Minister Peter Ogwang, was involved at the last minute on Friday, the South African officials worked overtime on the paperwork of more than 20 people on the team who had missed the initial issuance of visas. The team will now play at the lesser-esteemed Hawley Cup, an open championship, also in South Africa.
Bob Trubish, a banker and chairman of the association, cites defiance by some of his executive members.
“Some of my members don’t take instructions. Someone convinced us that we could get visas in two days with a diplomatic note. Now I wonder why we did not start this process earlier. We had some money on the account to start on the process,” Trubish said in an interview on Friday.
Fine mess
The team, which did not have a training camp, was invited for two days for the final selection process and was due to travel to South Africa without any allowances.
The association had Shs18m in its account and had borrowed Shs40m from a money lender in anticipation of government funding. But the office of the Minister was contacted by the federation on Thursday when the AAPA championship was in the Round of 16.
The team is expected to leave for South Africa early this week to play in the Hawley Cup that starts on Tuesday. Trubish said the Hawley Cup is an equally important tournament.
“All international events are important for our players. In the region, Uganda is the only serious country and the only opportunity we have to play the best is when you have South Africa or Zambia participating and yet their players will play the Hawley Cup,” Trubish said.
An irked group of pool enthusiasts held a ‘Google Meet’ meeting on Friday and Saturday asking Trubish about the mess and the sport’s inability to utilise its potential. With the elections coming up next year, some are calling for the heads to roll.
The PAU of Uganda has been slow on its activities holding only the Grand Open and the Nile Special National Open qualifiers with the league yet to kick off.
“We have been held back by funding. With the money we have now, we shall use some of it to hold events like the Kampala Open and Clubs Knockout before the year ends,” he said.
The team
Women: Lukia Nayiga, Rashida Mutesi, Marion Kisakye, Ritah Nimusiima, Zaimatt Nabafu, Rose Namugerwa, Jacinta Kajubi, and Sharon Mirembe.
Men: Simon Lubuulwa, Ian Kazibwe, Mansoor Bwanika, Habib Ssebuguzi, Caesar Chandiga, Ibrahim Sejjemba, Kenneth Odong, and Joseph Kasozi.
