Magical Okello inspires Lango to Fufa Drum triumph, at last

Lango players, coaches and fans were overcome by tears of relief and joy as skipper Allan Okello lifted the elusive Fufa Drum trophy at the MTN Philip Omondi Stadium on Saturday.

Waves of euphoria swept through a full-to-the-rafters Lugogo as last year's losing finalist Lango held their nerves to beat Charles Ayeikoh's hard-fighting Busoga 2-1  in a tension-filled final  to erase the final losing jinx.

See, Vipers playmaker Okello had shouldered the burden of lifting his native Lango to success in the four editions and here he was in the final playing a crucial role in their victory as his uncle Bob Obira (Lango coach) screamed instructions from the dugout.

The Okello family in Lira can easily pass as the regional football flagship entity and everything magical is almost supposed to be brewed by them.

For all the domestic awards, titles and silverware Okello has won with former club KCCA and at youth level, the Drum tourney medal had been one stain on his reviving career and it couldn't be erased  in a more telling demeanour than his man of the match performance against Busoga.

First, his well-woven cross into the box was headed in by Maroons forward Darius Ojok for Lango's opener on eight minutes and then he was involved in the second goal that saw budding  KCCA right-back  Joseph Ogwang's throw in sent into the net by marauding left-back Emmanuel Obua on 32 minutes.

Busoga was bamboozled by Lango's midfield display throughout the first half and only regained partial control in the second stanza when Ayeikoh introduced midfielders Ibrahim Mugulusi, Ibrahim Kazindula and Regan Kalyowa to tame the trio of  Joel Sserunjogi, Hebert Achai and Okello.

Yet Okello acknowledges that the Drum triumph can be a springboard for him to resuscitate his career at Vipers and Uganda Cranes and a return to paid ranks is not lost on the former Paradou (Algeria) star. 

Revenge served cold

"It hurt us last year when we lost to West Nile (in the two-legged final) and we swore to fight like wounded lions to win this year's final. Even without our colleagues like (Denis) Omedi, Moses (Aliro) and Musa Ramathan, we managed to pull it off. 

"I want to thank my fellow players, coaches and fans for their efforts that made us champions today," Okello revealed.

So determined were Lango that even when Busoga substitute Lawrence Tezikya halved the scoreline with a neat volley on 72 minutes, they didn't tremble to throw away their lead.

At the death, Busoga, now resorting to long balls into the box and with about five forwards on the field,  almost equalised but Express forward Isaac Wagoina headed the ball above the goalmouth - much to the relief of the majority Lango fans in attendance. 

Lango are indeed the deserved winners having cruised through Group B that had Kigezi and Kampala, eliminated past winners Acholi in the quarterfinals before getting their vengeance over West Nile in the semis to storm the successive finals.

On the other hand, Busoga had shown markings of potential champions by overcoming Bugisu and West Nile in the group stages, ejected resilient Tooro in the quarters and put up a commanding outing against Teso in the semis over two legs until they met their match in Lango.

Sponsors pleased

The province based annual tournament, themed on celebrating the nation's ancestry, has so far attracted a number of  sponsors like Rock Boom, MTN and Nile Special who were lured by the big fan numbers that grace the matches. 

"We have always been thrilled to contribute to the growth of these talents while providing a product that meets the needs of our consumers.

"These big numbers witnessed at Lugogo and throughout the tournament can spur football growth throughout the country, We shall be with Ugandan football to realize that goal," Samuel Hooper, the Head of Marketing at Hariss (RockBoom brand), said.

Fufa Drum 
Result - final 
Busoga 1-2 Lango

Past winners
2018: Buganda
2019: Acholi
2023: West Nile
2024: Lango