Until 2004, when SC Villa won its last League title, the Jogoos were the envy of many. Its arch-rivals struggled to keep up. In the sixth part of the series: Sixteen Years of SC Villa Drought, JOHN VIANNEY NSIMBE highlights how Villa, is losing its crown to KCCA, because of leadership deficiencies.
The unveiling of Mike Mutebi as SC Villa manager on December 4, 2011 at Rwenzori Courts felt like the release of a blockbuster movie. There was high anticipation about who would replace the Serbian tactician Srdjan Zivojnov, who had been sacked in November that year.
However, like the biblical scripture of Psalms 118:22, the Mutebi stone, that the Villa President Fred Muwema, in his wise counsel thought would be the cornerstone for Villa’s success was unwanted by the builders. KCCA picked it up four years later, only for the Kasasiro boys to steal the Jogoos thunder.
Mutebi splits opinion
While Muwema and his director of football Joseph Kanaaba were convinced they had got their man in Mutebi, to help Villa realize its five year strategy, other club directors like Omar Ahmed (Mandela) did not approve.
In fact, in one meeting, Allan Papoak, another of the Villa directors then, told Kanaaba, that the senior directors would not consider the strategy plan put forth, when it was Mutebi, a KCCA man in charge of their team. No way!
Perhaps, that is the reason Mutebi’s three-year contract at Villa did not even reach half way. But the strategic plan Kanaaba had lined up, had therein details of how the club would concentrate on signing young talent on five year deals.
This would allow them time to develop, so that by 2014, two or three years at Villa, they were League champions again. They would then return to the Caf Champions League. But more importantly, the target was to have Villa in the lucrative group stages for the first time by 2016.
To pick is not to steal
Yet, instead of that happening at Villa, it happened at KCCA, following Julius Kabugo’s decision to pick Mutebi from joblessness of three years, following the death of his Villa dream. In fact, it was the blueprint that Mutebi had been primed to use at Villa, that he adopted at KCCA.
Mutebi started off by signing his former Villa defender Dennis Okot for the 2015/16 season from Sports Club Victoria University. He named him Captain, and was the first to guide KCCA to a league and cup double in the 2016/2017 season.
Goalkeeper Benjamin Ochan, who Mutebi coached at Villa, was promoted to first choice, as Yasin Mugabi was released to Police FC. Others like Paul Musamali, Ronald Musana, Lawrence Kasadha, Godfrey Sembatya and Jackson Nunda also joined, before Isaac Kirabira and Isaac Muleme, who had been at Villa since 10 played an integral part of getting KCCA into the lucrative group stages in 2017.
Remember, the strategic plan Kanaaba had prepared, had projected back in 2011/2012 that Villa would reach the Caf Champions League group stages by 2016 with the players listed above.
KCCA went ahead to sign Nicholas Kasozi and Allan Kyambadde from Villa in 2018, before another Jogoo prodigy Erisa Ssekisambu joined in 2019. But more recently, a Villa youth product in Charles Lwanga and Dennis Iguma, another reknown for his Villa roots joined KCCA.
Infrastructural Growth
When Muwema shifted Villa to Kisubi back in 2012, the idea was to secure a lease there, which would enable them have a substantive training ground, and playing field like one in Lugogo. In addition, Muwema started Villa TV (a weekly show on NBS TV), an active club website and fans season tickets.
KCCA boasts of that now on top of an organized player development academy, and a system that trades them off to more lucrative leagues. The common denominator therein has been vice-chairman Aggrey Ashaba. But what many people do not know, is that Ashaba was a member of Dream Sports with Mutebi.
This sports agency helped bring forth the young players at Villa in 2011/2012, before most moved to KCCA, and delivered success there. In 2004, when Villa clocked 16 league titles, KCCA was on seven. Now they are on 13.
Probably it is a lesson to Papoak and others, to realize that football is about professionalism. Mutebi was determined to deliver for Villa the same way he has for KCCA, regardless of his yellow leanings. And maybe KCCA would never have been anywhere near stealing Villa’s thunder.
Please reach us through [email protected] For Your Opinions, a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish
