Uganda’s football has time immemorial been rocked by countless scandals. From incompetent, questionable and corrupt leadership to the current administrative wrangles that have epitomized with total confusion of having two different leagues, the mother nation Uganda stands to lose.
The roll coaster of scandals is now worthy a movie director to capture a blockbuster series as yet another accusation has come up to pin FUFA’s Vice President in charge of Financial matters, Anthony Kimuli, this time not in money swindling, but over an alleged theft of a football team, Entebbe Football Club, that currently plays in one of the two ongoing football leagues, the FUFA Super league.
A football coach based in Entebbe, Pinto Tamale Kiwanuka is bitter over the manner by which his team, formerly Entebbe Young was silently and gradually taken over by Kimuli without his knowledge and consent.
“I started Entebbe Young as an academy in 1996 with the help of the then Municipal mayor, Steven Kabuye and another coach Hakim Nsibambi. Most times, I would personally inject in my money to facilitate the little boys”, Tamale starts to narrate his long ordeal to Kawowo Sports.
The 40 year old coach, with a vast knowledge and experience in youth football says that two years after the commencement of the Academy, he approached Kimuli for a financial backing given the fact that the team was now playing in the Wakiso Division one league.
Kimuli accepted to help the team register and he would pay match official’s facilitation in many games. To Tamale’s surprise, when the team qualified for the FUFA Big league, Kimuli decided to change the name of the team from Entebbe Young to Entebbe F.C on top of recruiting a fresh technical support staff and he was completely left out.
“As a founding coach and owner of Entebbe Young, Kimuli would not have done anything beyond my back. In fact up to date, nobody has ever come out to explain the circumstances by which Entebbe Young became Entebbe F.C and they completely left me out of the system, is it because am a poor man or?”, Tamale bemoans.
Efforts to reach Kimuli were futile as he could not pick up his cell phone but the Head of Technical Affairs at Entebbe F.C, Alex Gitta rubbished Tamale’s claims saying, the club was legitimately registered. “Entebbe F.C is a legally registered team and no one should deceive the world about it”, Gitta says.
Entebbe Young has produced stars like Dennis Iguma (Victoria University),Benjamin Ochan (Villa-USL), Batte Shamiru (Kiyovu, Rwanda),Joel Busuulwa, Kenneth Tumusiime, Abdul Hussein and Jimmy Bageya (Nairobi City Stars),Alex Ikanga (formerly of Tusker) Kisakye Yoweri (Aspire Academy),Martin Sseruwagi (Aurum Roses), Vincent Bugimbi (Kira Young),Mwanje Steven and Hussein Mulawa (formerly of City Lads), William Keratumu (Express), Otimong Michael, Peter Musiime (Mombasa stars), Onen David, Ronald Kalema, Olema Mustaffa, Andrew Mugabi, Sam John Nkali, Andrew Bagonza and the current crop of players presently at Entebbe F.C like Sunday Mukiibi, Odeke Charles, Ndugwa Abraham , Bajja Lorenzo, and a host of many others.
Tamale cries out to the Federation Chief Executive Officer, Edgar Watson for the necessary intervention and assistance to reclaim his taken club.” I appeal to the FUFA CEO, Watson to help me and sort out this mess, can you imagine I have never seen any single coin from the numerous players that have transferred from Entebbe Young?” Tamale says.
Who will win the club ownership battle of Entebbe F.C? Your guess is as good as mine.
Taarifa hii ni kutoka mtandao wa Kawowo sports
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