Born in 1952, Abbey Nasur is one of Ugandan footballers that will forever remain in the hearts of Kenyan soccer fans especially at Gor Mahia.
The striker began his football career at Police Children School before joining soccer power house then Kololo SS. At that time, Nasur was a trainee at KCC FC which was playing in the national second division.
Despite his scoring instincts, he failed to break into the City side’s first team but concentrated on featuring for Naguru based sides like Young Salumbey and Naguru Youth which is known for nurturing many talents in Ugandan football.
CLUB CAREER
Abbey Nasur enjoyed a rich vein of form wherever he played and while at Naguru Youth Club, he got a chance of demonstrating what he could do best in an Independence Cup played in Mpigi District on 9th October 1969. The game was between his side Naguru Youth and super division side Prisons FC. The forward scored twice on the day prompting British Coach Bill Kirkham who was at the helm of the Luzira based side to sign him.
AT PRISONS
Nasur found it hard to break into the side’s starting XI at the expense of experienced strikers Ali Kiggala and Kenyan import Akanga. He was however involved in lots of friendly matches for the club in a bid to acclimatise him and also ensure he gained the required match fitness to feature in competitive games.
It was not until 1971 that Nasur made his long awaited debut for the club. At that time, age was catching up on Kiggala giving the opportunity to the upcoming Nasur to break into the team. New Prisons Coach Peter Okee also preferred the youthful Nasur over Kiggala.
He teamed up with Peter Babu, Charles Ebalu, Sam Walusimbi and Patrick Ogwang upfront creating the most feared attack in the league at the time. In 1973, Nasur had become the poster boy of the Luzira based side not only because of goal scoring but also his work rate, attitude and commitment.
In 1975, Nasur took a short break away from the beautiful game to pursue a cadet training course in England that was sponsored by Prisons. His absence was totally felt as the side failed to compete favourably with the big boys without him.
In 1977, Nasur finished runner up in the race for the golden boot after he scored 23 goals in the league just one short of what top scorer Denis Obua netted while at Police FC which was relegated in the same year.
Obua later joined Nasur at Prisons in 1978 and the duo made a deadly striking combination but the side spent most of the season fighting relegation. This was attributed to loss of other star players like Natal Mwaka, Mike Latim, Sam Natulya and Elias Wapicho who had joined Nile FC then.
MIGRATION TO KENYA
The 1979 war that toppled Iddi Amin’s government affected all sports men that were plying their trade with security forces as they faced arrest. This prompted Nasur to flee to Kenya to save his life. He took a year’s break from the game while in exile but later returned in 1980 at Maragoli FC before joining giants Gor Mahia a year later.
AT GOR MAHIA FC
At Gor Mahia, he teamed up with fellow Ugandan Timothy Ayiekho in the side that dominated Kenyan football in the 80s. While Ayiekho commanded a starting berth in the team as a holding midfielder, Abbey Nasur made his name as a super sub, often coming off the bench to score crucial goals in the league and on the continent.
Against Djoliba of Mali in the 1980 Africa Champions League, it was a penalty conversion by the sure footed Nasur that gave K’ogalo a 1-0 win which sadly was not enough to see them through the second round. Nasur was a dynamo on the right wing often making incisive runs down the right flank and giving tiring defenders nightmares.
During the opening match of the CECAFA Club Championships in 1984 against his home side and Uganda’s representative KCC FC. Gor Mahia were down 0-1 in the waning moments of the game. Coach Len Julians introduced Nasur midway through the second half. It was his menacing run into the KCC penalty box that resulted in a penalty when he was brought down by a desperate KCC defender. The resulting penalty was slotted home by new signing, George Onyango “Fundi” thus salvaging a point for K’ogalo.
He was Gor Mahia’s leading striker then, winning four league titles plus the 1987 Africa Cup Winners Cup medal but he soon quit football.
INTERNATIONAL CAREER
Nasur’s first international assignment came in 1970 when Uganda national youth coach Robert Kiberu summoned him to the team that competed in the regional youth tournament in Tanzania.
UGANDA CRANES CAREER
Alongside Moses Nsereko, Stanley ‘Tanker’ Mubiru and Ashe Mukasa, Nasur was promoted from the youth team to replace the waning but experienced players like the late David Otti and John Diibya among others. He was part of the 1973 Uganda Cranes team that lifted the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup
Nasur was summoned to the Cranes side that travelled to Algeria for the second leg of the 1974 AFCON qualifiers. At the time, he was a player averaging 20 goals a season and his technique on the ball was not in question.
He was also part of The Cranes side which played in the 1974 AFCON in Egypt where he played the last game against Zambia. He created one of The Cranes’ goals which Stanley Mubiru scored to secure a 2-2.
In 1975, during the time Zambia hosted the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup, he scored a stunning 30-yard equalizer against Kenya and created the winner for Polly Ouma against Zambia. Though Cranes lost the trophy to Malawi, Nasur had cemented his name as one of the best player of the tournament. In the 1976 Cecafa Cup held in Zanzibar. He scored three goals to send Uganda to the finals of the event against Zambia.
In the finals, Nasur did both the scorer and provider’s role to win Uganda the regional bragging rights. It was Nasur’s inch-perfect pass that enabled Moses Nsereko to drive a left-foot shot through the legs of the Zambia goalkeeper. Tired of being a provider, Nasur controlled Nsereko’s long ball before beating the keeper with a classy, curling finish for Uganda to win the event after trouncing KK Boys (Read Chipolopolo) 2-0.
In 1977, he converted the decisive penalty kick in the 5-3 shootout against Zambia for Uganda to win the Cecafa trophy for keeps after winning three times 1973, 1976 & 1977.
In October, he played a big role as The Cranes eliminated Ethiopia to qualify for the 1978 Africa Nations Cup. At the tournament held in Ghana, Nasur started four games missing only the first against Congo, but featured in the last four against Tunisia, Morocco, Nigeria and Ghana. He scored one of the two goals which sunk Nigeria in the semi-final.
However, in the final against Ghana, he was substituted after only 20 minutes by Barnabas Mwesiga following a stomach pain which is alleged to have resulted from the improper food served to the team by the hosts in order to weaken the side. His departure hurt Uganda’s formidable striking line of Omondi, Godfrey Kisitu and Fred Isabirye—who had a proper understanding with Moses Nsereko and Mike Kiganda’s midfield.
Eventually, The Cranes lost 2-0 to the hosts. Amazingly, it remains the last time that the country appeared at Africa’s biggest showpiece.
COACHING CAREER
After retiring from playing the game, Nasur embarked on a coaching role in Kenya and handled sides like Coffee Board of Kenya, Metal box, Stima, Impala Aliwatanya and also Gor Mahia.
In Uganda, he coached KCC FC and Maji FC till 2006 but he went into oblivion since then.
At Kenyan club Gor Mahia, he is considered a legend and not by mistake, Nasur made his name at K’ogalo.
ABBEY NASUR FACTFILE:
-Born in 1952
-He played for five clubs (Young Salumbey, Naguru Youth, Prisons FC, Maragoli FC and Gor Mahia FC)
-He won three Cecafa titles with the Cranes (1973, 1976 & 1977).
-He played at two Africa Cup of Nations events for the Cranes (1974 & 1978).
-He won two Cecafa club championships with Gor Mahia (1981 & 1985) and Africa Cup Winners Cup (1987) and four league titles (1983, 1984, 1985 & 1987).
-He coached a couple of clubs in Uganda and Kenya (Coffee Board of Kenya, Metal Box, Stima, Impala Aliwatanya and Gor Mahia. In Uganda he coached KCC and Maji FC).
ARTICLE CREDITS:
Hassan Badru Zziwa – the Observer Media Ltd & www.gormahia.net