For nearly four decades, Ugandan football in terms of qualifying for a major tournament, was just a summary of hope, dejection, despair, indifference or indignation.
For a country that played in the finals in 1978, losing to hosts Ghana in Kumasi, it would have been a tricky task for whoever decided to start counting the years of underachievement and failure to feature at AFCON again.
In picking apart the analysis of Uganda’s consistent failures from 1978 to 2017, there are several recurring themes: government policy, penalty shootout, qualification crises, refereeing injustice, agonising misses and The Cranes simply being outclassed.
Veteran sports journalist Hassan Badru Zziwa reasons that government policy, club politics and exodus of players to Europe and the United States played a major part.
“Between 1978 and 1983; government banned participation in all international competitions and that included Uganda Cranes so we never featured in the 1980 and 1982 qualifiers,” narrates Zziwa.
“After the 1979 war, most players like Paul Ssali, Godfrey Kisitu, and Med Lubega that featured for the forces (Police, Simba/army, and Prisons) were arrested, others like Polly Ouma, Abbey Nasur, Denis Obua, and Timothy Ayiekho fled to Kenya while others hid and this was the core of the 1978 team that played in the finals.
“During the 1979 CECAFA Challenge Cup, the team lost all games and so the Minister of Sports then put a ban on international participation for all athletes for re-organisation.”
Zziwa also believes that from 1984 to 1994, club politics and rivalry played a big part in Uganda’s failure to qualify.
“By then, the rivalry of clubs had taken another step with Express FC back, SC Villa was growing stronger, KCCA was dominating, Coffee etc so whenever the national team was summoned, a section complained about their players being left out etc.
And there were even allegations that players from a particular club couldn’t pass the ball to others so it all affected national team performances and results yet these were top quality players.
“In fact in 1984, club politics went to another level as Express FC refused to play KCCA and SC Villa (in the first round) in the league after the regulations barred them from signing particular players from the two since they were representing Uganda on the continent. Actually some players sat out for a season insisting they wanted to play Express.
“Clubs reached an extent of refusing their players to join the national team. For instance, Moses Ndaula, Isa Sekatawa, Kateregga were once refused to play for the national team by Express, and then the case of Magid Musisi, William Nkemba who refused to play in 1991 against DR Congo after Paul Hasule was banned for beating up referee in a league game.”
During 1992 qualifiers, Uganda had an opportunity to qualify had they been able to pick a result from DR Congo who they had beaten 2-1 at Nakivubo but the ban on Hasule saw Villa players including Musisi miss the trip and Uganda lost 1-0.
The Late Musisi is believed to have told FUFA and the national team that “Mugende Mukafiremu” loosely translated to mean “go and die on your own” as they left for Kinshansa.
Zziwa regarded as an encyclopaedia of Ugandan football for his vast knowledge also believes that bad luck and overhauling the team from 1994, lack of stability in coaching and playing staff and then players quitting the game.
“From 1994, the team kind of suffered an overhaul as many players left the country for Kyeyo [taking up odd jobs abroad] – Ronald Vvubya, Rogers Nsubuga, and Twaha Kivumbi all went while others like Hasule, Higenyi retired, then instability of the coaching staff and players.
Like Zziwa, former Uganda Cranes Media officer Fred Katende alias Malibu believes ‘club vs FA’ politics played a big hand in Uganda’s failure to qualify for the 1992 edition after Villa players left to join the team following the ban on Hasule.
“I was young but that story of Mugende Mukafiremu when Villa stopped their players from joining the Uganda Cranes because of a FUFA ban on Hasule after that red card in the league was a big factor for our failure to qualify then,” says Katende.
But Malibu, as fondly known in football circles was at the front during most of the failed qualification campaigns under the Lawrence Mulindwa regime (2006 to 2015) and divulges more about the politics beyond clubs that infiltrated the team and players.
“There were many people who believed Mulindwa wasn’t the right man to run football in the country and they fought to see he doesn’t succeed and they infiltrated the team and I believe we lost two campaigns because of this,” Katende explains.
“I still don’t believe we lost to Niger (3-1) because they were stronger but players didn’t do enough or did what they were supposed to do to enable us qualify.
I don’t want to accuse anyone but there were question marks in regards to how players responded in that game especially after we took the lead.
Malibu also believes lack of government funding previously also contributed to the delay to qualification.
“Unlike recently, the national team lacked support from government with Mulindwa digging into his pockets which was not viable and on many occasions, the players’ bonuses couldn’t easily be paid.
“There were also poor preparations because of limited funds, difficult travel arrangements and it explains why we lost most of the away games. Because of the funding, it’s hard to for anyone to infiltrate the team unlike before.
Phillip Ssozi was part of many failed campaigns and blames the officials in the federation then for their failure to qualify accusing many of being selfish and uncaring.
“I get a feeling some of the people in the FA then never wanted us to qualify. I recall when we qualified for the All African Games in 1999, ex-Vice President Specioza Wandira Kazibwe gave us $200 each and some FA officials ordered us to surrender the envelopes or else miss out on the final tournament. We were young then and some of us acted as asked as advised by our parents to go play so that we are seen by scouts,” recalls Ssozi.
“I remember one game when while in transit, Timothy Batabaire and I had to part with some money to ensure the team ate yet we had officials on the team but they didn’t care. At one time, when we went to play Algeria, a journalist Kenneth Matovu bought us food.”
“When Mulindwa came, things changed and I remember he gave each player $400 while in CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup. That was money I had never even earned from playing qualifiers.
Ssozi further reveals that some players acted on behalf of officials to abscond from national duty and jokes that if he had powers then, he would charge players with treason.
“We had a very a good team but some players were undisciplined. Imagine some players never honoured national team summons because they were stopped by some officials who didn’t want team to succeed. I would charge some players with treason if I had powers.
Hakim Magumba recalls the times the team slept at airports enroute to away matches, a factor he thinks affected the performance and results.
“The conditions then were unfavourable,” says Magumba. “I remember when we spent a night at an airport in Cote d’Ivoire on the way to Guinea. But now, teams have a luxury to train while in transit and comfortably sleep in a hotel,” he adds.
“For instance, we spent three nights at the airport in Cote d’Ivoire. It was tough. I can’t forget that match because it was my first on the senior team and the suffering was immense. No bonuses, poor travel arrangements etc.”
George Weah found us at the airport and had a conversation with Magid Musisi. I remember Mbabazi jokingly even asked Musisi to tell Weah to help us with accommodation.
Abubaker Tabula also echoes similar sentiments like his former teammates.
“We didn’t have preparations as good as now,” he says. “There was no money and spent few days in camp as well as travel especially for away games wasn’t conducive but we had a good team,” he adds.
Former Military Police FC midfielder, turned journalist, David Lumansi also points out clubs vs FUFA wrangles as well intrigue and sabotage especially during the Lawrence Mulindwa régime.
“Clubs V FUFA wrangles: In 1991 FUFA suspends Paul Hasule for a year for manhandling a referee, Villa blocks their players from playing for Cranes. Musisi tells travelling cranes squad mugende mukafiiremu Cranes needed just one point away to DRC, only to lose 1-0 without a huge Villa squad” he says before adding “For the generation of Sekajjas (under Mulindwa) there was a lot of intrigue, stars could skip important matches after bribes by saboteurs.”
Lumansi also adds that the draws then never favoured the Cranes due to lower FIFA rankings unlike now. “But again, some of those qualification campaigns were about right squad/ wrong coach/tough groups due to lower pot ranks. For instance, in the 2006 qualification the Cranes was in the same group as DR Congo, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde and Ghana.”
Uganda Cranes ended a 39 year wait for playing at the Africa Cup of Nations by qualifying for the 2017 edition in Gabon.