Warriors face troubled Falcons

By Charles Mutebi 

Airtel National Basketball League 

Men: Falcons v Warriors 

Women: Gladiators v UCU 

Results

Men: Nkumba 63 Miracle 51 

Women: KCCA 73 Sparks 23 

LIFE is getting sweeter for the Warriors. The Galaxy Falcons are going through another bitter internal crisis. 

It is not clear how many more changes this season will bring but for at least forty minutes today at the MTN Arena, the two rivals can shift all their focus to their highly anticipated first meeting of the season. 

Their last matchup, six months ago, ended with an 88-81 victory for the Warriors, a result that handed them a 4-2 series win in the FUBA Finals and, crucially, the 2012 national championship. 

Since then, the two sides have lost some of the key pieces that led them to the finals and have started the 2013 campaign in less than convincing fashion, with the Warriors losing two and the Falcons three of their games so far. 

However, the Warriors have just sealed a crucial sponsorship deal with Riham beverages, which was officially unveiled yes-terday at Lugogo and will provide the kind of wherewithal needed to keep the reigning champions competitive. 

The deal, whose size and length was not disclosed by Riham manager Ruben Edwards, sees the club name change to Riham Warriors and secures the team’s participation in the upcoming Zone Five Club Championships in Burundi. 

Over at the Falcons headed by Denis Mbidde, all the talk is about the management crisis that has reportedly seen coach Gad Eteu and some club officials quit. 

According to reports, the disorganisation has also filtered through to the playing ranks with divisions cropping up among the team’s leaders like Stephen Omony, Phillip Amweny, Abdallah Ramadan and Geoff Omondi. 

The latest crisis continues a disturbing trend which was unheard of during the club’s first 10 years when they won a record six championships.