Mutebi: Mawejje’s sharp football brain made him standout
Mawejje ended his professional career at Police FC last season.
What you need to know:
- Plucked from obscurity at Masaka LC, Mawejje boldly states that Mutebi is his mentor and idol - whose coaching philosophy path he is eager to tread
Mike Mutebi passes as one tactician who sees distinctive qualities in certain players that others do not.
In his remarks as he hung up his boots, retired midfield dynamo Tony Mawejje gives Mutebi a large chunk of credit for honing his game at its infancy.
That was 2004 when Mutebi went out of his comfort to ensnare the rookie from beneath SC Villa’s noses to KCC (then). His tender age notwithstanding, Mawejje was installed as the basement of KCC’s midfield, operating behind senior players Noah Babadi Kasule and Asan Bajope.
Plucked from obscurity at Masaka LC, Mawejje boldly states that Mutebi is his mentor and idol - whose coaching philosophy path he is eager to tread.
“I saw his huge potential in the first game that I watched him play. He was calm on the ball and yearned to learn. I do not just bring in players but I settle for players that are going to learn what I teach them in football,” Mutebi told Sunday Monitor.
When Mutebi joined the national team as head coach the same year, he gave Mawejje the same responsibility and he excelled at that for 13 years.
“He has been making tremendous progress since day one. I can predict he will make a good coach because he has the experience, is ambitious and is always focused. Being a good coach requires talent, not luck,” Mutebi added.
He rates Mawejje as one of the best midfielders ever to grace the Ugandan game.
“Such a number six that does not make reckless tackles, is disciplined, versatile, has an impeccable game reading trait, positional awareness, composed and with a box to box engine is rare to find in our game,” he emphasised.
Tips for academy success
After the two testimonial matches, Mawejje is set to open an academy in Masaka that will particularly groom the next generation midfielders.
“I do not buy his idea of giving only midfielders a chance because kids keep on excelling at different positions as they grow.
But it is his choice. To succeed in his venture, he should recruit the best youth coaches that know how to handle kids below 10 years.
“Mawejje should have a healthy relationship with games teachers countrywide, employ a good human resource to track the players’ progress and also have a sound scouting team,” the former KCCA, SC Villa and AS Kigali coach advised.
