How time can fly! In December 1993, the SC Villa executive overwhelmingly decided to retire the club’s long serving chairman Patrick Edward Kawooya and replaced him with Franco `CAPO’ Mugabe.
The Villa Park changes pushed the maverick Kawooya to start his own football club which he named Villa International. The move threatened the existence of SC Villa and the football fraternity feared for the worst.
The Mugabe-led group were defiant and vowed to make the club (SC Villa) more vibrant and wished Kawooya and his newly formed Villa International nothing but success. Perhaps, that was said with tongue in cheek!
In fact, many football pundits likened that time with the 1979 situation, when Nakivubo Boys (which later became SC Villa) refused to merge with Express. You see, in 1977, Express had been infamously banned from top-flight football by self-styled Kampala Central Province Governor, Abdallah Nasur.
But when Express returned, they saw it fitting to reunite with their colleagues, who had chosen to form Nakivubo Boys. These same colleagues had been Express FC faithful before the club had been banned from participating in the league.
However, despite Kawooya’s stance, to form a break-away Villa International, Mugabe and his SC Villa faithful remained composed. On top of that, Mugabe’s administration retained the playing staff and almost the entire executive besides longtime SC Villa Team Manager, Eriab Kamya who decided to follow Kawooya.
The football fraternity predicted a football catastrophe and asked the local football governing body (Fufa) to intervene. But Kawooya and his group refused to budge, and instead promised to give his former colleagues a run for their money.
HOW IT ALL STARTED
Kawooya had a personal dream for SC Villa to be the continent’s best and did everything possible, even at the expense of his own integrity, for Villa to succeed. Everything started, revolved and ended with him.
However, he was seen by some of his peers as arrogant with dictatorial tendencies, something which might explain the fallout during his last days at Villa Park. But the 13 major trophies Villa won under his reign made Kawooya forever a giant at the club. It was from such a background that Kawooya was almost indispensable at Villa Park.
In 1993, voices of discontent emerged within the club for an elective club assembly. Kawooya was against the election but the club executive went ahead to set the date on December 19, 1993. Kawooya called the meeting illegal but the poll was conducted in his absence and Mugabe went through unopposed.
VILLA INTERNATIONAL IS BORN
An angry Kawooya turned to calling his former colleagues at the club, names, which stirred a bitter departure by him.
In fact, it did not take long before he launched Villa International on March 6, 1994 at Nakivubo Stadium at a function which was attended by top football administrators like former NCS boss Abbey Kafumbe Mukasa, Express FC’s supremo Vincent Bbale Mugera and former KCCA FC chairman Jack Ibaale.
Kawooya also appointed a club’s executive with which he served as President. Joseph Kabuubi was vice chairman. Others included Eriab Kamya, Alex Kasujja, Siraje Mbuga, and George Mpungu among others. Kawooya also recruited players like former Uganda Cranes stars like Umar Senoga, Steven Bogere, Adam Semugabi, Steven Mugalu and Sula Kato among others.
In order to have a shorter route to the topflight, Kawooya bought second tier side Lweza and merged it with Villa International. Just a year in the First division, Villa International got promoted to the topflight in 1995.
Yet, considering Kawooya’s failing health, plus his poor financial status, the team’s performance in the league was badly affected. In fact, Villa International just barely survived relegation.
A boardroom decision by the National Football League Committee (NFLC) found Mbale Heroes guilty for fielding an illegible player. It is against that background that Villa International got extra points to aid their survival.
Unfortunately, in December 1995, Kawooya, who had been admitted at Kisekka Foundation hospital for his waning health, passed away on December 31, that same month. His passing proved to be a big blow to Villa International, as they struggled to honour the league fixtures in 1996.
Towards the end of the season, the club missed some fixtures and later pulled out of the league. That marked the end of the club which Kawooya had wanted to dominate local football for years.
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