To coach a footballing club world over is one of the most treasured, demanding yet passionate jobs one can ever encounter.
This job, like day and night, sun rise and sun set, winter or summer, alternates depending on the tiding of results.
Football coaches admit that they undergo intense pressure, sometimes overwhelming excitement owing to the performance and overall favorable results.
Asaph Mwebaze has been head coach at Uganda Premier League side Onduparaka Football Club since August 11, 2018 when he crossed from Prisons funded Maroons F.C.
On Monday, November 19, 2018, he confessed having mutually terminated his employment contract with the Catarpillars.
This decision had followed a three day’s absence from work owing to pressure that emanated underneath following a heart breaking 2-1 loss on the road at Maroons in Luzira.
“I left Arua for good” he disclosed to Kawowo Sports.
He had moments earlier confessed on NTV during the sports show, Press Box;
Mwebaze as he appeared on NTV
I still have a running contract with Onduparaka FC. Of course, anything can happen in this football world full of speculations.
As coaches, we always keep our bags at the door. My agent is doing the work but I have also heard those speculations even linking me to a certain team in Wakiso
Kawowo Sports’ David Isabirye dug deep to find out the push factors to Mwebaze’s shocking
Inconsistent results:
A critical look at Onduparaka’s nine matches under Mwebaze, your could trace elements of inconsistence, something the club loyalists detested.
Two games were in the pre-season FUFA Super Cup and seven in the league. One post-match penalty victory over SC Villa and a loss to KCCA ushered him at the club in the FUFA Super cup.
In the league, he recorded three wins (over SC Villa, Nyamityobora and Kirinya-Jinja S.S), two losses (to KCCA and Maroons) with two draws as well against Tooro United and Bright Stars.
To the Catarpillars, such a sequence of results was unacceptable.
Poke into the gaffer’s technical notes:
Many Onduparaka fans had reached an extent of influencing the match day line-up.
Experienced and principled coaches as Mwebaze can never accept that at any one moment.
Citing influence of his decisions prior to and during the game by the fans always put his job at crossroads many a time.
Little wonder, many fans questioned the choice of line up Mwebaze thought would better suit the team against Maroons.
Impressive Home run record:
Seldom, in recent times has Onduparaka FC fallen at home. Apart from the loss to SC Villa at the Green Light last season, and this year’s bitter 2-0 loss to KCCA, Onduparaka had transformed the Green Light into a den of sorts.
When the Catarpillars fell 2-0 to KCCA at home, a number of fans openly attacked the coach (Mwebaze) with insults of fungous verbal artillery.
With a clear stand point, Mwebaze assured the fans that a football club stands three possibilities when headed for a match – win, draw or lose.
In fact, he cleared unlined his intentions in bold, to win silverware;
“I would rather lose a home game and win the trophy than win or draw at home and fail to win any silverware” he barked off the fans then.
In-fighting:
In every house, there are domestic (internal) woes embedded within. Similarly, there is a boiling scenario of happiness and agony inside Onduparaka.
From the players, management, coaches through to the fans, there elements of egos and selfish motives by individuals.
Mwebaze might have been caught off guard and had no seek haven by absconding from work before eventually throwing in the towel.
Now, with Simeon Massa back in the interim seat as coach, the million dollar question still lingers; who will coach Onduparaka FC again?
Former coach Charles Livingstone Mbabazi has been linked to the job but he seems comfortable at Mbarara City.
Harunah Mawa, Edward Golola and Alex Gitta are some of the options management is weighing options into.
Matches for Asaph Mwebaze at Onduparaka
Onduparaka 1-1SC Villa (5-3) – FUFA Super 8
KCCA FC 2-0 Onduparaka – FUFA Super 8
Uganda League Games
Onduparaka FC 2-0 Nyamityobora FC
SC Villa 0-1 Onduparaka FC
Onduparaka FC 0-2 KCCA FC
Kirinya Jinja SS 0-3 Onduparaka FC
Onduparaka FC 0-0 Bright Stars FC
Tooro United FC 0-0 Onduparaka FC
Maroons FC 2-1 Onduparaka FC
