Kabugo makes the case for Mutebi at KCCA

May 08, 2017

Just like his contemporary Sam Ssimbwa, to him, football was a simple game that required no endeavour.

One of the most talented players of his generation, Mike Ray Mutebi, surprisingly didn't always dream to become a famous footballer.

He was a complete athlete who would easily have made the national team for 100m and 100x4 relays on the track and field but running was not his passion.

As a footballer, he was near complete. A utility player who was as good in attack as he was in midfield and defence. He was elegant on the ball and impudent.

It didn't matter what position he played in, he was always the organizer and leader of the orchestra.

It was in his nature to command and instruct, to dictate play and to lead by example. So often betrayed by his passion for the game, he struggled to control his temperament.

Just like his contemporary Sam Ssimbwa, to him, football was a simple game that required no endeavour.

All it needed was a ball, feet and brain.

No surprise then that by the time he completed O-Level, Mutebi was not only coaching his teammates, but the school teams as well.

As player-coach, he often felt limited by the playing role which demanded that he focuses on his own performance.

He was in his early 20s when he captained Bell FC, one of the strong institutional teams in the super league then. By then, he was also captaining the national Under-23 team but everything he did seemed far beyond his age.

It was only a matter of time before he joined his boyhood club - KCC FC. Along with Sam Ssimbwa, Jackson Mayanja, Joakim Matovu, Enoch Kyembe and Fred Tamale, he was one of the hottest selling younger players in the country then.

Clubs not only wanted him for his footballing talent, they wanted him for his footballing brain and coaching skills.

As fate would have it, during one of the hot off-season transfer activities, he survived near death when he was shot in the leg late at night at his home. His footballing career ended prematurely.

He used that personal misfortune, however, to launch his coaching career and the rest is now history.

He lost himself in coaching manuals, took on coaching courses, positioned himself as an understudy for coaches he admired and spent hundreds of hours watching coaching videos. His dream was to become the best coaching brain in the country.

Over the years, he coached KCC, Miracle, Simba, Coca Cola post primary select teams, Uganda Cranes, SC Villa and finally back to his home club, KCCA FC.

He always had a dream for a model football club which would give him the opportunity to apply his broad knowledge of the game.

Sadly, Ugandan football was still amateur and clubs had nothing close to the setup he wanted.

The arrival of Julius Kabugo at KCCA FC changed all that.

Not only did Kabugo believe in Mutebi's talent and qualifications as a coach, he believed in his philosophy and vision for KCCA FC.

He therefore created the environment that Mutebi had always wished for and gave him full powers and independence in managing the club.

They fully backed Mutebi with handsome budgets and KCCA FC is now the envy of every club in the country.

Two championships in three years and now chasing the third in four years. The first ever Ugandan club to qualify for the group stages of a premium CAF Competition.

They have attracted the most sponsorship deals from corporate organizations and KCCA players have started dominating national team selections.

When I asked Kabugo to explain this transformation of a club that had lost its way, he put it to one man - Mike Mutebi.

He said, "Whatever you see here is down to the genius of Mutebi. We are using his template. He has proved that when you support local talent, it yields results. All I have done is to give him maximum support to apply all his knowledge and talent."

These words will sound like music to the ears of a man who was once accused by his critics as ‘conceited' and a ‘players' nightmare."

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});