The year Ssali’s AAU lost it all

By Douglas Mazune AAU strongman, Sam Sali, who secretly applied for a court injunction blocking the Caltex Havoline rally got a shock of his life when he found lawyers of rival FMU waiting for him in the courtroom. FMU lawyers Oscar Kihiika, James Nangwala and McDusman Kabega were in court to counter AAU’s move. Following the ‘ambush’ AAU suffered defeat in court. After hustling throughout the year, Ugandan rallying finally got rid of Sali’s group mid-December when FIA granted sporting powers to FMU. The 2001 season will go down as a year when Ugandan motor sport was more in the boardrooms and courtrooms than in the route. AAU steadily lost ground as the power struggle intensified and was finally seen off a couple of weeks ago. Shortly before the start of the season 34 drivers including the top guns and leading clubs UMOSPOC, MOSAC and UMC resolved to dump AAU and sided with FMU for the 2001 season. National champion Charlie Lubega declined his FIA priority B status that was he was supposed to get through AAU. On January 5, AAU blew their chance to save face when they refused to sign a memorandum of understanding with FMU and insisted on holding elections for a neutral body. In the memorandum, FMU was supposed to accommodate Sali. In April, after 14 hours of negotiations presided over by then state sports minister Omony Ogaba, both parties resolved that; AAU merges with FMU, AAU hands over FIA powers to NCS, FMU reviews its constitution and hold fresh elections. When NCS set out to implement the agreement, AAU cried foul and the special assembly was called off. Having failed to settle the dispute locally, FIA consultant Yvon Lyon came to Uganda on August 28 to investigate the wrangles and filed a report in favour of FMU to the World Motor Sport council. On October 4 the motor sport council recommended that the FIA general assembly withdraw sporting powers from AAU and grant them to FMU. On October 5 the assembly in Cologne, Germany gave AAU two months to show proof of government support to the motor sport council. The same assembly gave FMU associate membership to FIA. On December 14, the motor sport council granted FIA sporting powers to FMU bringing the two-year bitter power struggle to an end. The rally fraternity can only hope that FMU lives to their expectations.