S256 - 001 The Dark side: Ugandan soccer exposed Football also known as the beautiful game has had a fair share of troubles here in the pearl of Africa. Uganda also known as the pearl of Africa is found in the Eastern part of Africa, part of the vast great lakes region gifted by nature. With a population of over 30 million calling it home, the country is currently ranked 77th in the recently released FIFA coca cola men’s football rankings. Not fair for a population with so many football enthusiasts. It’s undeniable that football is the number one sport in this small East African country. With such a great sporting background the country has long since been living on past glory. It was way back in the 1970’s that the country recorded some of its greatest sports success stories. Qualifying for successive nations cup finals and winning an Olympic gold medal were among the 1970’s achievements. Political instability, civil wars, poor administration and poor infrastructure are some of the factors hindering the development of football in the Eastern part of Africa and Uganda in particular. East Africa has since then become the weakest link in the African football chain. The economic development of a country is directly proportional to its football development. Countries in East Africa have failed to advance in their football development due to poor economic development. Countries like Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia,. Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya , Burundi and Uganda are true minnows of African football and world football in general. They have long been part of world football’s doormats. In this region (East Africa) football is still in its grass root stages (grass root football). Perhaps there are more pressing needs than keeping football functioning. The countries in the East African region have had a host of football problems over the years including regional power house Uganda. Uganda currently has three football associations claiming to represent it. We also have two bodies each claiming the right to run the national soccer league. This resulted into the creation of two parallel football leagues all running at the same time. Divisions in the clubs have also been created forming breakaway factions within Uganda’s greatest football clubs like SC Villa and Express. Other smaller clubs had to make the difficult decision on which league to play in. The USL is currently running the Uganda Super league whereas FUFA runs the FUFA-Premier league. The problems in Ugandan football were compounded as the cranes failed at the last hurdle for a second consecutive time to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations. Going down 9-8 on penalties against Zambia at Namboole after a 1-0 win in the 90. Kenya, until recently and after a protracted struggle involving the court of arbitration of sport, had two football associations claiming to represent it. The consequences of this debacle led to Kenya being banned from international competitions in 2006 and damaged the domestic game as a whole. The crisis ended in 2010 but with Kenya ranked 132nd in the world it was an unnecessary side show which only added to the difficulty of improving domestic and national football. Indeed it is not only Uganda’s fortunes that are bleak, the whole region is suffering on the field. Uganda and Tanzania are alone in the region in having risen in the FIFA rankings recently. Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Burundi, Eritrea, and Somalia are all falling in tables. East versus West The failings of East African team are in stark contrast to their west African counterparts who not only have a plethora of players plying their trade in Europe’s best for the world’s top club teams but also boast some of the regions most successful national teams. Ghana reached the quarter finals of the 2010 world cup, and had it not been for a controversial handball, may well have reached the last four. One crucial difference underlying this vast gulf in the footballing fates between east and west has been the distinction in colonial legacies between francophone and Anglophone nations . Unlike Britain post independence , France and Belgium have taken and invested in the sporting infrastructures of countries like Mali and Senegal. French and Belgian clubs have scouted for talent in these countries. Transfers of older players to European teams directly from countries like Uganda are unheard of. Seydou Keita for example moved from Mali to French football club olympique de Marseille at the age of 17. The Ivory coasts most successful team , Asec mimosas Abidjan which has developed several players who have gone on to star at the top level in European teams – was set up by former French international Jeam marc guilou and has several scouting links with Belgian and French clubs. Domestic progress Where it has not been international interest, the common factor linking successful footballing nations has been domestic investment from the grassroots up. Football in Uganda faces some unique challenges. Poor administration, bickering, intrigue and some cases of sabotage are among the key factors derailing the game’s growth. In a local super league match your eyes are greeted by the depressing sight of empty stands. European football has become the stable diet for Ugandan football fans. The introduction of pay per view services has exposed Ugandans to quality football compared to local games which are characterized by scenes of poor ball control. East African football products have proved to be among the worst in the football world. Football in this part of the world has failed to earn its desirable respect. Many East African footballers have failed to break through in the world’s elite football leagues. This could be partly due to their physicality. Most footballers in this region are actually built for athletics rather than football. The footballers in this region have small bodies which cannot compete favorably on the professional stage. Football is a way of life and in many parts of the globe it has done what individuals have failed to do. In Spain for instance, football has done what politicians had failed to do in the past 100 years. A once so divided nation has managed to unite behind their soccer national team breaking the divide which existed for such a long time. East African foot ballers could be the worst in the world according to some of the most recent surveys. Uganda the highest ranked and most successful county in the region last participated in the Africa cup of nations In 1978. Uganda has since then lived on past glory. Foot ball in this part of the world is arguably the number one sport. Names such as Ronaldo and Messi, the world’s best foot ballers have became house hold names in this part of the world. It’s a common scene to find younger foot ball fanatics debating on who is a better player. Football is away of life and every aspect of life has its challenges in . The success of Uganda as a football county lies in the stake holder’s ability to treat it as away of life. Football as a sport can generate its own income. The idea of begging government to inject money directly in to the sport is uncalled for. Government should be pushed to building infrastructures and reducing taxes. Masiira Ramathan 0783182922
Posted on: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 08:27:20 +0000
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