Obua smiling to polls

Aug 17, 2001

FUFA president Obua hasn’t dropped his old election promise of establishing all under-age national teams (U-20, U-23 etc).

Football has endured multiple assaults over the past three years and the uproar against Denis Obua’s reign has reached the skies, yet he is still favourite to bounce back, writes Joseph Kabuleta FUFA president Obua hasn’t dropped his old election promise of establishing all under-age national teams (U-20, U-23 etc). In truth even the one national team he found in place, The Cranes, has since been disbanded. The national league is in shambles as the very man who famously promised to re-popularise soccer has overseen the biggest decline in match attendances. Yet Obua appears to be favourite to rise from those ashes and win a second term as FUFA president. The incumbent might be bereft of administrative acumen, but his undeniably affable nature has won over some of his most vocal critics. Yusuf ‘Chuni’ Kyeyune, the benign Chicago United boss, and Faizal Mohammed had openly fallen out with Obua and spent all of last year telling every willing listener about the austerity of Obua’s misdeeds. At the height of his fall-out with Obua, Chuni was the first to raise the name of Abbas Kaawaase as a prospect for the FUFA job. But just when everyone else was beginning to warm up to Kaawaase, the man who suggested his name rejoined Obua’s bandwagon and is now singing out of a completely different hymn book. “I think Obua is the right man for the presidency,” Chuni said. “Football is governed by secretaries and Kaawaase would make a good FUFA secretary.” Fiazal claims the entire Eastern Uganda is behind Obua, “but we shall give him better scouts.” Whatever that means. Such names as Chuni and Faizal may sound like loud-mouth jesters to the average soccer fan, but it their likes who have the key to FUFA’s electoral college that is rarely governed by reason. If Obua fails to win another term, it won’t be for the want of trying. He missed the opening ceremony of the CECAFA Challenge Cup in Kampala when such dignitaries as CAF vice-president Farah Addo were present, and had to be reminded one morning that he was supposed to be match commissioner that same day in Zimbabwe. Yet, over the past four months, the FUFA president has been a willing guest at village football matches promising the world and donating balls. He has met all current and prospective delegates from virtually every district and emerged from the meetings with a brimming smile. Needless to say, there are so many people who have seen enough of Obua to last them a lifetime. But their desire to oust him is based on hope rather than certainty. With three months left to the actual FUFA polls, none of Obua’s opponents have hit the campaign trail in earnest ––– that’s why the incumbent is walking with his head high. A confident Obua said: “Three months before we won the elections we were campaigning vigorously but these people......” He didn’t complete the sentence, he didn’t have to. None of the five or so possible candidates for the December polls has really come up with a strong bid to prize Obua out of Nakulabye, a fact that is not lost on him. “I will surprise you,” the FUFA boss concluded. Probably Obua is taking too much for granted. The man considered to be his main foe, Kaawaase, has stayed long enough in soccer politics to realise that it will take much more than waving to cheering crowds at Nakivubo to win the December polls. The soft-spoken former NFLC seceretary is already fluent in the campaign language. He said: “Obua is assuming too much, just because he is giving out balls and money doesn’t guarantee him victory.” Kaawaase laughed at Obua’s suggestion that he is simply sitting and hoping. “Does he think I am sleeping? I am moving in a quiet and simple manner but I am thorough. Let Obua know that I am standing, and that means that I am doing much.” Kaawaase knows that his bid is strengthened by Obua’s failings over the past three years. “The world has seen his (Obua’s) weaknesses and people want change. There are people he can’t buy off with stolen FUFA money.” Ends

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