And as of now, I am thinking about how SC Villa, the 16-time League Champions on the verge of winning the title this season, will cope next season or even be a title contender if they should go on and lose their top players (again).
As I read the latest news about Ugandan football, I see a familiar headline that has consistently appeared in newspapers and online media outlets and from word of mouth.
The date is 6/7/2023, and the headline states, 'Gift Fred's contract at SC Villa expires. How can a team fighting to lift the 2022/2023 season title let such an incident happen (again) in their camp?
06:12 - 08.06.2023
FOOTBALL What next for SC Villa out-of-contract defender Gift Fred?
The SC Villa captain is out of contract and is now a free agent.
Especially for a captain who has been available through thick and thin.
What could have brought such a scenario to the fore is the incompetence of the SC Villa board to act swiftly and tie down Gift Fred to a new long-term contract!
Is it the player and agent playing hide and seek with the SC Villa Board? It is hard now to presume who has been at fault for such a mess.
But it is time for Ugandan clubs to understand that football is now commercial from a business perspective.
Otherwise, many clubs have risked losing important players season in and season out because of their unprofessional conduct.
This is because most of them sign players on short-term or long-term deals but still allow players' contracts to run out and, in turn, be held at ransom by players and their agents.
Case in point is Karim Ndugwa from BUL FC to Vipers SC, Patrick kaddu from Kitara FC to Gor Mahia FC, Geoffrey Waswa from SC Villa to KCCA FC, and Daniel "Mzee" Sserunkuma from Express FC to Vipers SC.
And also, from revelations of how eight players at Arua Hills FC have run down their contracts, Simon Tamale at Maroons FC and Allan Kayiwa at Express FC. Why should a club let their best players leave just like that, without a fight?
The players, with their agents, have got wise and always negotiate contracts which are always in their favour.
And sometimes, you cannot blame clubs because there are many aspects at play; there are little to no title ambitions from clubs, the club's financial status, the player's desire to move or stay regarding the club's current condition, etc.
But in all this, either the club stands to lose a lot if a player leaves for free because they will not generate a given sum to commission a player transfer and thus recoup the expenses incurred over a given player in a given period.
Or the club will gain if the player performs to their best and a move away to another club is waiting and hence the club getting some return on investment.
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10:56 - 07.06.2023
FOOTBALL Arua Hill sweating to hold onto out-of-contract super stars
Among the eight reportedly running down their contracts are club captain Rashid Toha and his deputy Gaddafi Wahab.
It's high time Ugandan football clubs started working professionally and organised in dealing with players and their transfer policies.
And of course, some clubs have dealt with such situations well, but in a broad perspective, a lot is still wanting on Uganda's football scenery regarding player transfers.
As players leaving to join other rival teams dents the clubs' chances of better performances in upcoming football seasons.
And as of now, I am thinking about how SC Villa, the 16-time League Champions on the verge of winning the title this season, will cope next season or even be a title contender if they should go on and lose their top players (again).z
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07:13 - 08.06.2023
FOOTBALL Simon Tamale open to new challenge after an impressive season at Maroons
The shot-stopper had an impressive campaign at Maroons which saw him pick up 13 clean sheets in 23 games and conceding only 11 as he guided his side to a sixth-place finish.
Ugandan football clubs, as much as they are pulling strings to make things work, but in some aspects, they ought to do better.
The author is a former Ugandan international.
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