It was a historical moment to many fans below the age of 30 but for anyone who has followed the game for decades, I can best call it a resurgent. This is not to play down Vipers’ achievement because bundling out a perennial giant is no mean feat and I congratulate my good friend Dr Lawrence Mulindwa for putting his investment on the right track.

This is so because Villa, Express, KCCA and Simba have done it before in much stronger eras of club football on the continent. Vipers, given their investment, have the capacity to go all the way and I can only wish them the best.

Yet the most conspicuous bit about Vipers’ run is that they are doing this all by their own. Mulindwa’s efforts to bring a Brazilian tactician seems to have paid off well and I am sure his juniors are feeding off his knowledge in order to be in position to take on bigger tasks. Those are some of the salient things Mulindwa has done to improve our game without necessarily announcing it to the world.

The club’s investment in foreign players is also improving the competition level yet for some reason, Fufa continues to limit the signing of foreigners into our league. I faced several such hurdles at Villa.

What’s more, Vipers is footing all its bills without the help of anyone in Ugandan football administration as well as the National Council of Sports. Instead, it is Vipers that had to deposit at least $10,000 with Fufa as guarantee for their participation on the continent.

Just imagine, the trip to Lubumbashi likely cost the team about Shs 300m yet the administrators in charge of our game are simply looking on without offering to lend a hand. At this moment, Vipers is a national treasure that needs the support of everyone on the continent.

But as is the norm of recent, Fufa is waiting for Vipers to reach the final to declare a special prize money for the team if they go on to win the tournament. Such posturing has become common for Moses Magogo. It is then that they will seek to have the team go to State House for a dinner.

This is so absurd because if there is any help Vipers need, it is at this level, not when they have reached the peak. Supporting the team will not only inspire more football investors like Mulindwa to prop up but also help improve the face of the game, whose reputation has been damaged of recent with corruption and maladministration.

The author is SC Villa first vice president in charge of mobilization.

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