Mandela, 61, is set to take over the club reins unopposed on November 13 and this marks 17 years since he resigned his executive positions of treasurer and chairman administration in 2004 after a spat with fans over entry fees for the Villa-Iganga match.
Since then, Mandela has been lurking in the shadows as a powerbroker but now that he has come into the hot seat, it is perhaps fitting to unveil his football hourney.
Express days
It may be shocking but Mandela was a staunch Express FC supporter in the seventies. He was one of the young boys who shed tears when Express got eliminated from the 1976 Africa Club Championship by Enugu Rangers at Nakivubo stadium.
Joining SC Villa
Mandela was also present at the chaotic February 4, 1977 league match between Express and Simba FC in which the former won 2-0 before chaos erupted between fans and soldiers.
But when Lt Col Abdallah Nasur banned Express days later, Mandela joined hundreds of other Express fans to root for Nakivubo Boys, a club then considered to be Express’ junior side before it morphed into SC Villa.
Even when Expresss resurrected in 1979 and bounced back to the elite local league, Mandela and a section of former Express supporters stayed put at Villa Park.
Behind the scenes
SC Villa maverick chairman Patrick Kwooya often reached out to wealthy Kampala businessmen and wooed them to the club’s executive.
Mandela was among those he approached in the early 80s but he somehow refused to serve at the club’s top executive in spite of immensely contributing to the club finances. This greatly endeared him to SC Villa officials and fans but he didn’t take any post at Villa.
Mandela’s role at Villa
By 1993, however, Mandela was one of the club faithful who openly voiced discontent about Kawooya’s management style.
In retaliation, Kawooya one time attacked Mandela and called him derogatory names but by now, Mandela had established himself as a powerbroker and come December 19, 1993, he spearheaded the election of Franco Mugabe as club president.
For the first time, Mandela accepted a position on the executive when Mugabe named him club treasurer. Mandela also became an active figure in the recruitment of players by using his extensive network of football contacts to bring top prospects to Villa Park.
Battles for players
With each growing day, Mandela’s popularity increased, especially during the transfer window when he engineered the signing of top players. He did all these after fighting verbal battles with officials from rival clubs.
The most well-documented battle was the transfer of Phillip Obwin from Express in 1996. Express supremo Vincent Bbale Mugera had vowed not to let Obwin move to Villa.
The protracted war of words lasted six months before Express accepted Villa’s Shs 6m offer and released Obwin. In December 1997, SC Villa made another move on three Express players; Joseph Muyaba, Geoffrey Bukohore and James Odoch.
Express blocked the move during the official transfer exercise but Mandela assured Express officials that the three players would be destined to Villa Park.
Express gave up and released Mutyaba and Bukohore and retained Odoch. Being the financial kingpin, Mandela engineered the signings of Ibrahim Mugisha, Joseph Senyange, John Mandwara and Hassan Mubiru among others.
In fact, it was still Mandela’s influence that led to the signing of Paul Hasule as coach. He one time told the press that the recruitment of top players at Villa Park simply depends on which player Hasule identifies, and then he does the rest.
Hesitation
In 1998, Mandela was named chairman Administration, a strategy Mugabe did to groom Mandela as his replacement.
In 2002 when the executive identified Mandela to take over, he hesitated. The 2004 incident put off direct football administration but his return to the fold could be the much-needed injection for Villa.
Mandela is a strict person who does not entertain sloppiness and hates dishonest people.
bzziwa@observer.ug
The author is The Observer operations director