First of all, Fufa has no mandate to look after former internationals but in an ideal world, it has a duty to ensure they live decent lives after retirement.
I’m reliably informed the meeting was attended by several former stars such as Barnabas Mwesiga, Paul Ssali, George Ssimwogerere, Fred Mukasa, Jackson Mayanja, Sam Ssimbwa, Godfrey Nyola, Kennedy Lubogo, Sam Kabugo, Ibrahim Buwembo and Gibby Kalule, among others.
I’m further informed that whereas the meeting was intended to address the challenges facing retired players, many speakers seized the opportunity to express personal misunderstandings.
Meanwhile, the absence of an ex-internationals association and in Fufa executive and assembly also dominated the meeting. Magogo vowed to have a working relationship with ex-players and to work on a saving scheme for the current players
Mutual suspicion
But beyond the exchange of pleasantries, the two sides have always harboured suspicions on one another, especially when it comes to power.
All this started in 1989 when a group of disgruntled former players led by John Baptist Semanobe petitioned Dr Edward Kakonge, the minister of Culture and Youth, to have elected leaders in football and do away with handpicked officials by government through the National Council of Sports (NCS).
Indeed, when Kakonge ordered all sports associations to elect their leaders, Semanobe led a clean sweep for former players in the new Fufa executive. These included general secretary Moses Nsereko as well as executive members CL Kibuuka and Hassan Mutaasa.
More were appointed on various national team positions such as Polly Ouma, Jimmy Kirunda, Timothy Ayieko and Ashe Mukasa, among others. In fact, no Fufa official from the previous Katamba Lugyo Fufa executive was elected.
This coup ushered a new era in Ugandan football and this Fufa viewed anyone who didn’t play the game as an outsider trying to reap from where he didn’t sow. In 1992, NCS headed by Abbey Mukasa dissolved Semanobe’s Fufa, accusing him of insubordination, and replaced him with John Ssebaana Kizito.
While the decision was popular in administration circles after a series of financial scandals by the Semanobe executive, football clubs and player organisations – which formed the bulk of membership in the assembly –greeted it with outrage as an attempt to hijack the game.
Indeed, when NCS organised fresh elections in December 1992, Semanobe defeated Patrick Kawooya and surrounded himself with many ex-players like Asumani Lubowa, Jimmy Muguwa, Denis Obua and Leo Adraa, among others.
This only served to anger Amanya Mushega, the minister of Education and Sports, who later dissolved Semanobe’s Fufa and went a notch higher to ban him from contesting again.
This paved way for Semanobe’s vice, Twaha Kakaire, to take the reins. In the inner circles, former players viewed Kakaire as an ‘outsider’
Kakaire sought to dilute the influence of former players but in turn, they also ganged up against him mostly through the Super Division Clubs Association (SDCA).
In the December 1998 Fufa polls, Denis Obua beat Kakaire and paid back his power block by returning many ex-players such as Ouma, Godfrey Kisekka in top Fufa positions. “Football is back home,” he said. Other ex-internationals like Paul Hasule, Lubowa, Henry Buyego, and Paul Ssali, among others, won appointments on Fufa technical committees.
Yet again, Obua’s tenure was riddled with scandals and the ex-players rule was ended in February 2004 when Geraldine Namirembe Bitamazire, the Education and Sports minister, dissolved his executive.
Since then, ex-internationals have been kept at arm’s length in the leadership and their influence continues to wane by the year so much so that their position in the Fufa assembly was also scrapped a few years ago. My hope is that last week’s dialogue can kick-start a new era of harmony where ex-players are not seen as threats.
bzziwa@observer.ug