No silent exit for Mugerwa as KCCA releases eight stars
Yasser Mugerwa (C) celebrates after scoring a goal. Photo Eddie Chicco
What you need to know:
- Sources tell the Monitor that the player is demanding a balance of Shs13m in sign-on fees, and wants his full wages for a year that is left on his contract paid by the club
KCCA's build-up to the 2022/23 football season continued with the club announcing departures on Wednesday.
Eight players were announced as having left or are leaving the Lugogo-based club, with some having their contracts "mutually terminated" or simply expired.
The eight are Andrew Samson Kigozi, Erisa Ssekisambu, Patrick Kaddu, Yassar Mugerwa, Davis Kasirye, Innocent Wafula, Joseph Bukenya and Gift Ali.
“The club would like to thank the players for the memories over the years that they selflessly served and everyone at the club wishes them the very best for the future”
Kigozi, who joined the club at the beginning of the 2020/21 season on a three-year contract, like Mugerwa, has reportedly agreed with the KCCA to mutually end their relationship.
It wasn't me
However, Mugerwa; who still had a year running on his contract having joined the club on a two-year deal at the beginning of the 2021/22 season, dismisses he "mutually" agreed with KCCA to terminate the agreement.
"Regard this as fake news," he accompanied the club statement with this brief write-up on his Facebook account, (I) haven’t terminated my contract."
He added, on Twitter: "I am (a) graduate who understands what “mutually terminated” means."
In a rejoinder to Daily Monitor, Mugerwa was shocked by the club statement.
"We were still negotiating and boom, I saw that," he narrated.
"They just don’t want to pay. I want them to pay my sign-on fee balance and my full year salary," added Mugerwa, who declined to say how much he is owed or how much was paid.
However, sources at the club told Daily Monitor that KCCA indeed owe Mugerwa a balance of Shs13m sign-on fees, having already paid him Shs23m when he joined.
When contacted for comment, the club CEO Anisha Muhoozi offered a brief "no comment."
However, KCCA's statement was subtly intentional on who actually terminated the contract.
While the club were uniform in addressing Kigozi's status in their wording, another player they said they had mutually agreed to end ties with, Mugerwa's case was left hanging.
The statement carried the words "mutually terminated" next to Kigozi's name and followed it with a supporting write-up.
"The player had a year to run down his contract but he agreed with the club to mutually terminate."
But for Mugerwa, despite carrying "mutually terminated" next to his name, KCCA left no doubt in the next statement as to who ended the relationship
"The club has terminated the contract," they wrote.
Recruitment under scrutiny
Kasirye, the club's joint top scorer with seven goals last season, Wafula, Ssekisambu, Kaddu and Bukenya all run down their contracts, while Gift Ali’s second year option was not triggered.
Interestingly, five of the eight players dropped were signed by current manager Morley Byekwaso in his first season, an indictment on his recruitment.
Of Byekwaso's signings, Emmanuel Wasswa, Brian Kayanja, who spent the whole of last season injured, Geoffrey Wasswa and Filbert Obenchan (second stint) remain at Lugogo.
Former SuperSport United and Vipers midfielder Moses Waiswa and Faisal Wabyona are the new players that have so far come in to bolster KCCA ahead of the 2022/23 season.
