On many occasions, Ugandan footballers have been described as not being good enough, the reason they will fail to get good deals in respectable European clubs.
Those who eventually get the chance fail to embrace it and are always on the next plane back home instead of giving their best to impress wherever they have been taken.
Granted, but are players’ representatives or football agents also doing justice to these players, or do club administrators really want to see these players succeed?
Stories have been told of how Philip Obwiny and Fred Tamale’s chance to move to English side Portsmouth was blocked by then the officials at Express.
Maybe the duo would have opened doors for many other footballers at the time and Ugandan would have been known as a hub of serious talent export.
Even Jamil Kyambadde’s chance to join Ajax Cape Town after the 1999 All Africa games in South Africa was blocked by KCC officials at the time who refused to open negotiations with the South African side which at the time was the gate pass to European.
There so many stories with similar plots but fast forward to 2015, where three players have shook the Cecafa region with breathe taking skills, Ugandan Farouk Miya, Tanzanian Mbwana Ally Samata and Kenyan Michael Olunga.
While Miya is reported to have signed a six months loan move to Standard Leige in Belgium last month but yet to switch location, his counterparts have sealed lucrative deals and switched addresses too.
Samata made the big move from TP Mazembe to anther Belgium side KRC Genk on a five year deal, the newly appointed captain of Taifa Stars has played two games already.
On Wednesday, Olunga signed for Swedish outfit Djurgadens on a four year deal, the left footed lanky striker played three trial matches and scored two goals and is getting ready for preseason in turkey ahead of the season in April
Olunga enjoyed his best season for Gor in 2015, winning three titles with the club, and finishing second in the Cecafa Kagame Cup, scoring 38 goals in over 40 appearances.
Mbwana was outstanding for TP Mazembe as they won the CAF Championship League, on top of being named the best African footballer based in Africa.
So did Miya with Vipers, leading the club to their second league title, but most importantly, making a mark on the national team in the AFCON and World Cup Qualifiers and is now a mainstay in the senior national team.
Probably Miya shouldn’t be used a case study in this case, but if he is the best Uganda has at the moment, why should the people who do business on his behalf go for half hazard deals?
