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It was such a sentimental moment last Friday, April 17, when coach Mike Mutebi was in the stadium at Lugogo, watching his former side, KCCA FC take on Kitara FC in the Uganda Premier League (UPL).
Considering that he had previously been unwell, seeing him among his own, mingling and chatting with them was a sign that he is on the way to recovery. Perhaps this recovery cannot be taken lightly.
Just a month ago, Mutebi was lost; he could not be found for many days, after he lost his way back home from an outing in Entebbe. In fact, even as he mixed with several people at Lugogo, while he remembered some, others he had forgotten, especially the players of the two sides he watched.
Yet, the one thing Mutebi had not lost, was the ability to recognize good football. When asked about the KCCA and Kitara game, one that the former won 1-0 courtesy of a Joel Sserunjogi long range strike, Mutebi remarked that the quality of football had not been good; at least not from teams chasing the title.
However, Mutebi quickly added, probably not to disparage (something he was not afraid to do when he was still actively coaching) those involved in the game: “But let us go with that, and appreciate the efforts of the players.”
It was indeed Mutebi trying to be nice, yet the reality remained that the game was not memorable. Questions have been asked across different sections of fans about why the league this season has been short on expressive and entertaining football?
It was inevitable that fans who watched the KCCA and Kitara game, must have felt nostalgic when they saw Mutebi in the stadium. They must have had a fond recollection of the KCCA side that he coached between 2015 and 2021.
That team played some really beautiful football, both domestically and on the international front. Former KCCA and Vipers winger, Paul Mucureezi, who is presently pursuing a CAF ‘C’ coaching certificate reflected on that period, as he compared it to the current times.
He said: “Coach Mike was so intentional with his ideas, and he spelled them out very clearly to the players, while insisting on them. Failure to grasp them, you would never make his team. While he was so tough and ruthless, we had to play the good and structured football he demanded by hook or crook.”
But that appears to have eluded the game today. The football on display is not breathtaking like some of those unforgettable days KCCA provided ten years ago. It is evident, that today, teams are just playing to win games because of the pressure that comes from the club hierarchies.
Yet, one cannot say that Jennifer Big crowds at UPL matches points to local football revivalP.26 Musisi (Former KCCA Executive Director) and Julius Kabugo (former KCCA FC chairman) did not put pressure on Mutebi then to produce results.
But as the coach, Mutebi did not move away from his ethos that football had to be beautiful in order to attract the fans. In the game against Kitara, there was hardly any hair-raising moment from the many free-kicks in that game, let alone defence-splitting passes, bar one by Kitara’s Frank Tumwesigye, to write home about.
This raised questions about what exactly is done on the training fields every day. That said, SC Villa is probably the one team in the league today whose players have tried to be exciting on the field.
Coach Zeljko Kovacevic has tuned the team to have such expansive wingers in Jonah Kakande and Hassan Mubiru. In fact, they stretch teams, and have proved to be the major outlets of the team, but also, the blueprint of Villa’s attacking game.
Yet, they, too, also still have major shortcomings: Having consistent deliveries into the penalty area that test the opposition. One has to credit Vipers for foiling the threat they posed, when the two sides made a week ago in the league, an encounter that ended 1-1.
The tactical astuteness of Vipers coach Ivan Minnaert was on show. But beyond that, little in an attacking sense could be seen from this Vipers side. Although the Kitende-based side has the best squad in the league, something that should translate to good football, that has not been the case lately.
The argument is that there is no room for fancy stuff, but results now, as the end to the season draws nigh. However, this begs a question: What good is in winning, without giving the fans something memorable to talk about?
Something that was quite alien at KCCA was the long balls. Today, it is the norm. KCCA used to build from the back, in order to suck opponents in, before getting in behind the lines to unlock them.
They inspired many other teams to try and play the same way, which was entertaining. Instead today, what is largely seen across the league, is physicality, kicking others, and chasing after the ball without any proper structure. It is a mystery how many fans actually love such an approach.
nsimbe.jv@gmail.com
