Ex-Cranes keeper Wassa cries for help
Jun 09, 2006
FORMER Cranes custodian Sadiq Wassa has appealed to football fans and well-wishers to save him from what he has called uncomfortable life after loosing his jobs as a goalkeepers instructor and a mechanic at Kampala City Council (KCC).
By Swalley Kenyi FORMER Cranes custodian Sadiq Wassa has appealed to football fans and well-wishers to save him from what he has called uncomfortable life after loosing his jobs as a goalkeepers instructor and a mechanic at Kampala City Council (KCC).
Wassa was a household name after saving three penalties during his debut in the East and Central Africa soccer championships — one of the Cranes vividly remembered finals to lift the trophy in 1989 against Malawi in Kenya.
He was the star as Uganda defended the title against homeboys Zanzibar and was still the man in 1992 when Uganda beat Tanzania’s Kakakuona in Arusha. Cranes lost the trophy to Kenya the following year and Wassa became national and KCC FC goalkeepers’ instructor.
The visibly malnourished former star is crying foul on some individuals in KCC who influenced the authorities to terminate his services.
“My problems started when I conceded a stupid goal in a league game against Express in Wankulukuku. KCC suspended me indefinitely because they thought I was corrupted,†Wassa said.
“When I came back as a goalkeeper trainer, they still looked at me with suspicion,†said Wassa.
A club source, however, disputed saying the former star was sacked for over drinking which Wassa insists he only turned to after losing his status in KCC.
“I can stop drinking. No one should give excuses because I have done all I could do but no one seems to help me out,†the visibly frustrated man added.
He said that his last blow at the club came when KCC played APR of Rwanda in the Confederations Cup at Nakivubo last year. “All 30 players and officials were paid except me. I did not understand this because the explanation was that I was forgotten. The keepers trainer?†Wassa wondered.
Although his biggest problem is fear of eviction from a two-roomed house he rents in Bukoto, a Kampala suburb after failing to pay rent for over three months, Wassa dreams of completing his house in Lugazi which stalled at the ring level.
“I have a family to care for but you can get very frustrated if you don’t see an end to this kind of problem,†Wassa explained.
Today, Wassa, with a family of eight, survives on contributions from well-wishers who seek his services as a physicals trainer at Kampala Rugby Club on Sundays. Wassa joined KCC FC at the start of the 1989 season from Jinja-based Nile FC.
Ends
Wassa was a household name after saving three penalties during his debut in the East and Central Africa soccer championships — one of the Cranes vividly remembered finals to lift the trophy in 1989 against Malawi in Kenya.
He was the star as Uganda defended the title against homeboys Zanzibar and was still the man in 1992 when Uganda beat Tanzania’s Kakakuona in Arusha. Cranes lost the trophy to Kenya the following year and Wassa became national and KCC FC goalkeepers’ instructor.
The visibly malnourished former star is crying foul on some individuals in KCC who influenced the authorities to terminate his services.
“My problems started when I conceded a stupid goal in a league game against Express in Wankulukuku. KCC suspended me indefinitely because they thought I was corrupted,†Wassa said.
“When I came back as a goalkeeper trainer, they still looked at me with suspicion,†said Wassa.
A club source, however, disputed saying the former star was sacked for over drinking which Wassa insists he only turned to after losing his status in KCC.
“I can stop drinking. No one should give excuses because I have done all I could do but no one seems to help me out,†the visibly frustrated man added.
He said that his last blow at the club came when KCC played APR of Rwanda in the Confederations Cup at Nakivubo last year. “All 30 players and officials were paid except me. I did not understand this because the explanation was that I was forgotten. The keepers trainer?†Wassa wondered.
Although his biggest problem is fear of eviction from a two-roomed house he rents in Bukoto, a Kampala suburb after failing to pay rent for over three months, Wassa dreams of completing his house in Lugazi which stalled at the ring level.
“I have a family to care for but you can get very frustrated if you don’t see an end to this kind of problem,†Wassa explained.
Today, Wassa, with a family of eight, survives on contributions from well-wishers who seek his services as a physicals trainer at Kampala Rugby Club on Sundays. Wassa joined KCC FC at the start of the 1989 season from Jinja-based Nile FC.
Ends