For the second time running, Nemostars will miss the Nkumba Open Volleyball Championship slated for this weekend in Entebbe.
Nemostars missed the championship last year because they had traveled to Kenya to take part in an international tournament. This time around, the team’s technical director, Tom Paul Amou sighted fatigue as the sole reason the team won’t take part.
“We have bigger ambitions as a club and we need to prepare accordingly, the players need to rest their bodies, we are not machines,” said Amou.
Insiders though have revealed that the team was psychologically hurt after Nkumba Navy defeated them in straight sets to knock them out of the Dr Aporu Okol Memorial International Championship at the quarterfinal stage last weekend.
“Guys are still trying to recover from the Nkumba loss, it still hurts and some senior players have stayed away from training, so there is no way we were going to go to Nkumba ill prepared,” the source told Kawowo Sports.
Nemostars, who last won the title in 2012, won’t be the only big side missing at the championship, 2013 winner KAVC will also be a no show. KAVC will be in attendance as their players Mathew Mwenyi and Kevin Acungukena tie the knot on Saturday.
Men’s pools of the 19th edition of Nkumba Open
Pool A: Sport-S, Ndejje Sharks, Sport-S Tigers, Mattrixx, Air force
Pool B: Nkumba, Namboole, Old Kampala, Thunder, Cobap
Pool C: UCU, Destiny, UPDF, St. Mark, Kazo Stingers
Pool D: Sky, KCCA, Mulago, Laureus, VVC
