Aldrine Nsubuga: If I was sports minister for 3 months

By Aldrine Nsubuga

When Education and Sports Minister Hon. Jessica Alupo was asked this week how soon she is at announcing government’s decision on the squabbles that have killed Ugandan football, she said, “Everything is in black and white now. Just be a little more patient.”

But judging from the mood surrounding various stakeholders in domestic football, patience isn’t a virtue anymore.

They want to know the decision not tomorrow, not soon, but now.

To understand where Hon. Alupo is coming from, I had to put myself in her shoes and dream that I were the minister for three months (December 2012 to February 2013).

Having given both FUFA and USL a chance to redeem football by January 31, 2013 to no good effect, I would consider this an opportunity to allow government to fix football problems once and for all.

The public has often accused government of not caring for football, now I would show them that we do.

Is the real problem FSL and USL? Or is it the football individuals who appear bigger than the sport? Or is it the total disregard of constitutionalism, legal structure and order? Or is it the thirst for power and money? These would be my leading questions.

If the problem were FSL and USL, football would be a national association not just in name. What we have instead are FUFA, FUFA Co. Ltd and FUFA Ltd all created by the very people entrusted to govern football on behalf of Ugandans.

The illegal privatization of football administration is the first indicator of things gone wrong.

On the second question, there is little doubt that the answer is yes.

Names like Lawrence Mulindwa, Moses Magogo and Mujib Kasule have become bigger than the sport. Mulindwa is a small god, Magogo is ‘association football’ personified, and Mujib is the ‘super league.’

Constitutional or not, legal or illegal, whatever these men say, goes.

They have presided over the anarchy that prevails in the game now in the name of association football.

These have sworn that they will disregard even government whatever it’s decision.

The third question on constitutionalism was answered last year in August, when an illegal article was smuggled into the new FUFA constitution to maintain the current FUFA administration in power. And the forth question about money is one we already have an answer to. It’s always about the money –– FIFA grant, sponsor money, gate collections, government funds. FUFA does not account to anyone.

Basing on the above, I would ignore the pressure to re-start the league and focus first on providing a road map for a lasting solution.

With FIFA and sponsors in mind, I would build and make a case for the illegality of FUFA and FSL to pave the way for dissolving the two.

In their place, I would institute an interim committee to regularize the legal status of FUFA, re-constitute a single league, re-store the sanctity of the FUFA constitution and organize for the next FUFA general elections.

I would propose tough guidelines in order to provide a protective framework for sponsors’ interests and institute proceedings to thoroughly investigate the management of funds from FIFA, gate collections, government and sponsors.

Culprits found to have mismanaged these funds would be brought to book.

For a thorough job, I would invoke the name of the auditor general to carry out a forensic audit.

Finally, for the sake of footballers who solely survive on football, I would recommend a fresh league season to follow a new annual calendar (March-November).

These are the decisions I would announce to the anxious awaiting public next week at a hastily organized press conference.

You can now breath out. The minister is Hon. Jessica Alupo not your columnist.

It was just a dream.