Vipers coaching job is one of the hottest seats in Ugandan football due to the pressure and demands that it puts on the table.
However, Charles Livingstone Mbabazi is confident and ready for the tough task.
After losing two games on a bounce, Vipers appointed Mbabazi replacing Brazilian gaffer Leonard Neiva to put an end to the poor run.
The gaffer pen to a two-year employment contract that will see him at St Mary’s Stadium, Kitende until January of 2026.
In his maiden interview as Vipers head coach, Mbabazi noted that he is a big coach who is fit and ready to be at the helm of a big club like Vipers SC.
“Vipers is a big club but I am also a big coach,” he told the club media before adding; “Let’s look at what I am bringing, in football, learning never stops, and I have come to learn. Then I’ll add my little experience to the team.”
“I am a workaholic and I like to work, I like challenges. Vipers is a big brand and I want to try out myself in a big club like Vipers. I have worked with some of the players here and I feel excited to work with them again. I know 80% of the players apart from the foreigners.”
On the club’s recent struggles, Mbabazi was quick to say that he knows what fans wan.
“The heartbeat of the fans is a goal, which means if you score goals, the team wins. I know the fans expect the team to win all the time but at least we shall try our level best.
“We all know, and everybody knows, that the team has lost two games. It’s a big challenge, but it depends more on the players. I want to improve their mental fitness because they are okay physically.”
It’s not yet over
When asked whether BUL is sprinting away at the top, Mbabazi revealed that the league is not a sprint but rather a marathon that still has more games to play.
“You talked of BUL. The good thing football isn’t a 100-meter sprint, it’s a marathon. There are still two games remaining (in the first round), so we have to concentrate on those to get maximum points. Then we will wait for the second round,” he concluded.
Vipers lie in fourth position with 24 points on a 16-team log. They will return to action tomorrow (Wednesday, January 3) as they host NEC FC at Kitende.
