Allan Okello, celebrating his goal
Ben Misagga
Even Brazil, the 5-time World Cup champions, is crying in the same corner as us. The product is gone because the players are gone.
Football is about PLAYERS. And our players are poached before they can even walk properly in the den.
A boy plays 5 good games for Vipers; his agent is already packing his bag to Morocco, Vietnam, Israel. Before the Ugandan child has memorized his name, before the stadium has learnt to chant his name – he is gone.
Brazil, same sickness. Boy scores 3 goals for Santos at 16; next month he is in Real Madrid. The Brazilian league remains empty.
No stars. No product. No fans.
LESSON FROM OUR HISTORY: MAGID MUSISI MADE VILLA, VILLA DID NOT MAKE MAGID ALONE
This is where our administrators forget history.
Before Magid Musisi was taken to Rennes, France, he was Top Scorer for 3 seasons, with an average of 25 goals. 25 goals! Every season!
But did Villa SC die when Magid left? No.
Why? Because Villa was wise. They had already brought and kept Mutakabala, Idd Batambuze, Mukasa and Mubiru to keep the fans with fun. When one star left, another was shining. The club kept the product alive.
So the fans did not leave. Villa grew massive. Villa became a tradition, not because of one player, but because they managed the exodus.
Compare to today.
Now the coach is the manager of the player. The coach is feared. Just one season, the kid is taken to an average league in North Africa, then routed to Top Tier leagues. The coach gets commission, the agent gets commission, but the local club? The local fans? We remain with an empty stadium.
We are not selling players anymore; we are selling our football.
LESSON 2: FOOTBALL IS A PRODUCT, NOT A TRADITION
When Onduparaka was playing great football, indeed, many Ugandans worshipped it! Just one season, Onduparaka sold their prized player, Shaban, to the best local bidder.
People don’t come for tradition. They come for quality. Cook the food well first.
*SOLUTION: WE NEED A RING-FENCED APPROACH – IT IS IN THE HANDS OF UPL AND FUFA*
My appeal – administrators, go back to the drawing board. But because we have text book leaders, they will bring all FIFA statutes to hold your hand behind.
We need to regulate and control the exodus of players. It is in the hands of UPL and FUFA to come up with a ring-fenced approach to keep the local league vibrant.
1. The Villa Model – Replace Before You Release: No club should release a star player until they have groomed and unveiled 2 replacements. Like Villa did with Mukasa and Mubiru when Magid was leaving. This must be a licensing rule.
2. Ring-Fence The League: Introduce a Protected Star Rule. Each UPL club must retain at least 5 marquee local players for a minimum of 3 seasons. If a foreign club wants them, they must pay a Real Development Fee – not $20k, but $150k. Enough money for the local club to stay vibrant and buy quality.
3. Kill The Coach-Agent Cartel: Ban a sitting head coach from being a player agent. This conflict of interest is killing us. A coach should build the team, not sell the team. FUFA must license agents and punish coaches who double as agents.
*4. Refine The Product Over Time:* Consistent kick-off time – Every Saturday 4pm is UPL time. Good grass. Good TV. Good story. Build rivalries for 5 years, not 5 months.
Magid scored 25 goals for 3 years, and Ugandans became Villa fans for life. That is how tradition is made.
If this football product is refined over a long period, if we ring-fence it and protect our stars like Villa did, it may perhaps become a tradition!
Tradition is not born. Tradition is made.
Make the football sweet. Keep the players for us to see. Then Namboole will be full again without forcing anyone.
