There is tale that Boca Juniors lost in the final of the Copa Sudamericana after winning the competition for a long time, they were fined by the south american football authorities for not staying to receive their losers medal and in their defense they said they had only been winners so many times that they never knew losers receive medals as well.
In our local sports, Express finds itself in rather a place they are so unfamiliar with that maybe they don’t even know how to motivate themselves to get out of there. Some teams are born survivors that being in a place of privilege doesn’t motivate them to do well while others are only motivated by doing well Express being the latter.
Express – dubbed “Mukwano Gwa Bangi” loosely translated as everyone’s love – have fallen on hard times this season, the DSTV logo is off their shirts and have so far gone through 3 coaches with Shafiq Bisaso hoping against hope that he can pull of the greatest escape.
The problems that face teams like Express are ingrained in how most traditional sports clubs are set up. Traditional clubs not just in football are founded on a loose association with no clear leadership but a common love for something.
This love is passed on from one generation to another hoping that the club will survive through thick and thin. It’s common to find club legends reminiscing about “dem days” talking about things like walking to training, having no water during training, winning against all odds things the modern day youngster wont tolerate.
The Big 3 – SC Villa, Express and KCCA created a cult like following since the 1980s. KCCA had Jackson Mayanja, SC Villa had a Paul Hasule and Express had Hassan Mubiru some of the best players to have played the game of football.
However, the traditional clubs albeit KCCA suffered from a lack of clear direction and leadership, coaches were fired by fans and players abused by those supposed to love them. The restructuring of KCC into KCCA saved the modern day football club from the same problems that have rocked Express.
SC Villa President Ben Misagga quickly realized that to find success in the league he needed to give his coaches more time rather than changing them like clothes. Now they are chasing the title with KCCA and finished the 1st round on top of the table.
Unfortunately on the other side of town, Express has failed to stop its slide down the table and are now rooted at the bottom. Their Chairperson Nakiwala Kiyingi was forced out last week.
Express is one of the few local clubs with their own stadium in the middle of a working town like Rubaga, a leader would at least find a way of making sure the facility generates some income to make sure players salaries are sorted.
The rise of clubs like Onduparaka that seem to have some kind of organisation has meant sponsors wont deal with those who are not organised. Little known teams like Mbarara City have been able to get 100M from Sponsors because they have some structure.
Money from a sponsor means players don’t have to worry about salaries at end of month or transport when they come for practice. In a such a position the club is in position to demand for results from its employees.
The fate of Express isn’t alien to football only, in cricket only one local traditional club is playing in the top division with the rest of the member clubs finding themselves in the lower leagues. In basketball the rise of City Oilers killed the traditional giants in Sky Jammers, Blue Jackets and Falcons.
In contrast to all sports, the rise of better organised clubs meant that those stuck in the past fade away.
I feel for Express and its followers, the FUFA Big League isn’t a place they deserve to be, but Sports is now a business and the sooner they sort out their leadership the easier it will rise up.
The lessons are everywhere, KCCA got itself a coach who has been given everything and the authority demands results and for 2 seasons now KCCA will be playing on the continent. There is the curious case of Onduparaka who have been the darling of Ugandan football since they made the final of the Uganda Cup in 2015.
It remains to be seen if Shafiq Bisaso can save the RED EAGLES hoping they don’t run out of games in the process.
