I was the happiest man when I learnt that KCCA FC had drawn Egyptian side Al Masry in the Caf Confederation Cup.
My joy has nothing to do with Al Masry being a weak team (Egypt has never had a weak team) neither I’m I rooting for any form of revenge. This is the kind of matchup I’ve always yearned for Ugandan teams because the north Africans provide a true reflection of our football level as far as African football is concerned.
I know many people out there who dreaded the draw, reasoning that it dented KCCA’s chances of making it to the lucrative group phase, where they would be as- sured of at least a billion shillings.
Granted, KCCA may have drawn one of the tournament favourites but on the flipside, this is a dream draw based on players’ exposure to potential suitors as well as learning or adjusting to playing in front of a partisan crowd.
REALITY CHECK
KCCA came within eight minutes from ejecting defending champions Sundowns. It was a gallant effort that ordinarily gives KCCA hope against any side. However, I believe playing styles go a long way to define matchups.
For instance, Sundowns play an expansive style of football similar to KCCA’s and both teams are not used to all-out negative tactics. The difference, however, lies in the level of professionalism and experience, attributes which KCCA players lag behind. So, just the same way sub-Saharan teams struggle against The Cranes, we have never been a match for North Africans.
PLAYER AUDITION
North African teams have a knack of snapping up the best players on the continent and often end up selling them to European teams. So, this is some sort of audition for all KCCA players. These are the kind of matches that differentiate real talent from promising players and such chances don’t come much often given the unpredictable nature of African football.
Just last year, SC Villa were set for a career-changing opportunity when the Jogoos got pitted against Morocco’s FUS Rabat. However, the players got over-whelmed by the occasion and got a tough lesson in Rabat when they were annihilated 0-7.
The first leg gap became too huge to overturn and rendered the return leg in Kampala virtually irrelevant. In many ways, Villa players missed the opportunity to showcase their worth and it is no surprise many have since been discarded by the club.
When I see youngsters such as Timothy Awany, Allan Okello, Muzamir Mutyaba and Paul Mucureezi, I see hope; not just for KCCA but for The Cranes also.
VILLA LESSON
It was such a similar matchup in 1991 that several Villa players became household names and some went on to become legendary figures. SC Villa were massive under- dogs against Egyptian giants Al Ahly in the quarterfinal of Africa’s premier club competition. Al Ahly had already eliminated Villa from the same competition in 1988, after the Jogoos lost both legs.
So, matters were not helped three years later when Villa still lost 0-2 in the first leg in Egypt. But upon return to Nakivubo, strikes from Robert Semakula and Zaidi Tebesigwa levelled the tie to force a penalty shoot-out, which Villa won 5-3.
That is the only time a Ugandan club has ever eliminated a North African side.
1983 HEARTBREAK
KCCA have a chance to emulate Villa; and just as the latter had revenge on their mind, KCCA’s feeling of vengeance dates back to 1983 when another Egyptian side, Arab Contractors, ejected them from the now defunct Caf Cup Winners Cup.
The Kasasiro Boys had forced a 2-2 draw away in the first leg after bouncing back from a 0-2 deficit. Goals from Frank Kyazze and Sam Mugambe ensured KCCA were in the driving seat.
With a goalless just enough to see KCCA through in the second leg, coach/player Moses Nsereko went for broke and had Nakivubo erupting in joy after Phillip Omondi and Kyazze gave the hosts a 2-0 lead.
However, panic set in when the Egyptians pulled a goal back and the worst fears were realized in stoppage time when a defensive mix-up led to a penalty, which Arab Contractors converted.
The penalty shoot-out found KCCA players very subdued and they bowed out 2-4, with only Moses Sentamu and Mugambe scoring while Nsereko, Omondi and John Latigo missed theirs. It is also worth noting that Cameroonian goalie Joseph-Antoine Bell and Ghanaian Karim Abdul Razak were the standout players for Arab Contractors.
COMING UP SHORT IN 1991
Eight years later, KCCA had a chance to avenge that defeat when they drew the same team in the same tournament. However, a 0-2 loss in the first leg left them with an uphill task to overturn the deficit in Nakivubo.
Still, the team had a lot of hope in star players such as goalie Sadiq Wassa, Issa Sekatawa, Jackson Mayanja, George Nsimbe, Derrick Muyanja and skipper Charles Masiko, among others.
In the end, Tom Lwanga’s charges didn’t live up to the expectations and had to rely on a Mayanja penalty to keep the tie alive up to the final whistle. 1-0 was just not enough to see them through.
In retrospect, KCCA has always been edged out by thin margins that keep me wondering what would have turned out had they done things differently. That was the common feeling among fans after the Sundowns elimination and it is something coach Mike Mutebi and his charges need to address.
bzziwa@observer.ug
The author is operations director of The Observer Media Ltd.