It is something many football fans don’t know while others know but prefer to ignore. FUFA, former FUFA president Lawrence Mulindwa and Uganda Super League (USL) are keeping local football, the league to be precise in limbo.
For years many thought that the arrival of continental broadcasters Supersport would take Ugandan football from mediocrity to professional. The arrival of the pay per View Company attracted league title sponsors like Bell, traditional giants KCCA, SC Villa and Express flattered to deceive as they unveiled a three year deal worth Shs900m.
We all remember the Pioneer Bus deal, don’t we? The deal collapsed before its impact could even be felt. Well the 2011/2012 season was success to a certain extent though. Because not all teams had a chance to play matches live on TV, as SC Bunnamwaya (Now Vipers) and Proline refused to be party to the Supersport deal. The latter obliged in the later stages of the season and received a few millions that saw the side go through the reminder of the season.
A war was launched on Supersport, as FUFA formed a parallel league in the names of FUFA Super League, for the 2012/2013 season at the time we had teams playing in both the FSL and USL.
FSL crowned KCCA while USL crowned Maroons, the former unjustly enjoyed championship status earning nominations to play continental and regional tournaments. The 2013/2014 season still saw two parallel leagues continuing to run but USL finally ran out of funds to sustain their activities and business stopped to operate.
Fast forward to the 2014/2015 season and Supersport are back in the country eager to broadcast the league but some would rather die than see that come to pass. Current FUFA president, Moses Magogo and USL’s Kavuma Kabenge can’t seem to agree whether them or clubs should be taking the lion’s share of the Supersport deal this time around.
Just the other day, a local daily (New Vision) published a story where Magogo and Kabenge were contradicting themselves on how much clubs will be earning from the broadcaster. Kabenge claims that clubs will be pocketing Shs68, on the other hand Magogo was wondering where Kabenge got those fingers and on record the FUFA president told the reporter that it was agreed clubs will each earn Shs18m for the season. Or should we say for the remainder of the season since we are already halfway.
While Magogo and Kabenge are at it, Mulindwa is telling those who care to listen that Supersport won’t broadcast league football here at least not this season. You have the former football head swearing that Supersport has no business in Uganda this season, and on the other hand you have Kabenge and Magogo still keeping their fingers crossed so that Mulindwa’s wish doesn’t come to pass.
Not because they have Uganda’s football at heart, no. but because the money involved is too much for them to lose. So the clubs or club officials who were counting on Supersport money for survival can find other means of seeing themselves through the remainder of the first round and the second round next year.
