Last year on December 21, I wrote within these pages how the more things change in Ugandan football, the more they remain the same.
The year 2023 has also not recorded any palpable progress and as I sat down to write this week's review of the year in football, I realized I would be regurgitating the same things from last year. For instance, UPL clubs are still disunited, The Cranes are in disarray and Uganda is yet to show any serious efforts it has what it takes to host a formidable Afcon.
So, below is the exact piece from last year and you will agree with me that apart from the individuals and entities involves, almost nothing has changed. At the start of the year, I predicted that if Uganda Premier League clubs don't come together for a common good, they are going to end up as outcasts in Ugandan football.
Twelve months down the road, it seems only a handful of clubs heeded to my prediction. As we speak, we have a 15-team UPL because one member, Kyetume FC, was forced out and no one stood by them. Marketing and sponsorship of the league is determined by Fufa and so are the image rights.
We have also come to see individual clubs face the wrath of Fufa in terms of sanctions but still, other clubs prefer to remain silent lest they annoy the Big Brother of Ugandan football. Today, Express, KCCA and SC Villa - the key powerbrokers of the game - continue to see one another with envy instead of having unity.
When it comes to the national team set-up, I warned that Uganda needed a serious soul searching in order to create a competitive national team. Still, the powers that be at Fufa looked with scorn when I presented it. As we speak,The Cranes are going through their worst spell in years.
The national team is in disarray with no clear direction while the underage teams seem clueless with each passing day. Fufa continues to blend over-the-hill players with emerging youngsters in the hope of getting favourable results. They even continue to field overage players in underage tournaments with no success. In short, Fufa is doing the same thing in the hope of getting different results.
To atone for the mischief on the field, Fufa in 2022 embarked on a large-scale effort to improve the football infrastructure. On paper, one would think of an effort to improve the capacity of stadiums and pitches countrywide but alas; that is the least of Fufa's priorities.
The year 2022 saw them launch office blocks and administrative units that cost billions of shillings. To the powers that be at Mengo, their interest is to keep all critics at bay by providing them an office or position to 'eat.'
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That is why of late, there is a plethora of titles within the Fufa and Cranes ranks, all aimed at accommodating dissenting views. Amidst all this, the question remains; where is Ugandan football going?
For those who hope there will be a rethink in 2023, you are doomed. As long as Fufa's main agenda is to consolidate power, expect a repeat of the events of 2022 where everything starts at the top with the Fufa executive.
In the minds of those running the game, Uganda is progressing - even when we have no national stadium. For those who enjoy cheap talk, expect a crescendo of voices calling to Uganda to host the 2027 Afcon, even when it is evident we lack the basics of even hosting a Cecafa Cup.
The author is SC Villa President Emeritus
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