The Super League can go on without sponsors

The Other Side of the Coin -- By Paul Waibale SeniorIt is hats off for Nile Breweries for having stuck to their guns and majestically marched on into their fifth year of sponsoring Uganda's premier soccer tournament — the Nile Special Super League. It was a tantalising decision to make, given the fact that their co-sponsors — MTN, Coca Cola, Shell and BAT(U) leaped off the wagon, for reasons better imagined than described. I, for one, vest the virtue of that decision in the wisdom that prompted Nile Breweries to examine the other side of the coin before rushing to any conclusion.Interestingly, there are certain individuals who celebrated when four of the sponsors withdrew and were praying hard that Nile Breweries would follow suit. This category of soccer novices contributed to the absurd school of thought that the exodus of sponsors would precipitate a disaster in Uganda soccer that would send FUFA President Denis Obua packing. The fact that these were the same people who have been posing as die-hard aspirants of development of soccer in Uganda, surprises only those who lack the ability to analyse the nature of active forces on the country's soccer scene.Be that as it may, the worst situation that would have emerged if Nile Breweries had also abandoned sponsorship of the Super League would be, at worst, a crisis. By any stretch of imagination, no deserter would arise as a direct consequence.The explanation is simple and straightforward. The National Football League is more than three decades old, but this is merely the fifth season since the arrival of sponsors on the scene. It is an undisputed fact that the League has previously been run without any sponsorship. There is no possibility of the League collapsing if there are no sponsors, but sponsors do play a vital role of providing facilities for oiling the competition machinery. It is in that context that I call upon Uganda’s soccer fraternity to proclaim ‘three cheers’ to Nile Breweries.Incidentally, Nile Breweries’ George Kakaire stressed at last Wednesday’s press conference that the sponsors who had decided to quit did have reasons for doing so. I can confidently add, that Nile Breweries had even better reasons to stay. Nevertheless, it is pertinent to point out that the quitting former sponsors did not, at any time, offer credence to the speculation by some sports writers that they quit because FUFA had failed to account for the money provided by the sponsors. It would have been the height of absurdity if they had.The fact of the matter is that the sponsors spend the sponsorship money directly. They order the uniforms, buy the balls, pay referees and commissioners, pay out the cash prizes, and organise the presentation ceremony. So what money has FUFA to account for? If the quitters have good reasons for quitting, lack of accountability cannot be one of them.Of course harping on the accountability strings may sound good music to those who naively equate the future of Uganda football with the fate of Denis Obua and seek to tie the two together even when there is no opportunity to do so. The Minister in charge of sports, Henry Oryem has had a rough time resisting wild proposals claimed to be the magic wand that will rocket Uganda football into super grade overnight. Fortunately, the minister has stood his ground and is giving Obua and his new FUFA executive ample opportunity to adjust their strategy and evolve fresh tactics. This has not pleased people like my good friend Hassan Badru Ziwa who has accused the Minister of handling Obua with kids gloves because he is a fellow northerner. When I read the accusation in Ziwa’s column recently, I felt like asking him if he had so vigorously supported Abas Kawaase for the FUFA chair merely because he is a fellow Muslim and a fellow Muganda.I supported Obua, but unlike him, I am neither a catholic nor a northerner.