Only FIA can save local motorsports

AFTER two years of rag and tag between two rival bodies, the writing is on the wall that the solution to Uganda’s motor sport woes is not in dialogue but decree. Either FIA whose top official Yvon Leon jets in today to investigate the wrangle hands their blessing to FMU, or NCS returns the local powers to AAU, Douglas Mazune writes. Aside from the fact it was the rally that won Moses Lumala his lone national championship, the 1999 Castrol Independence rally will be remembered more for the circus that preceded it. The event almost never took place because three of its leading organisers, the now deceased Jimmy Dean, Andy Kigozi and Gerry Noble were supposedly banned by the Automobile Association Competitions Committee (AACC) John Kulubya, the president of AAU, the parent body of AACC, opposed the ban. Then came the real circus. After an almighty exchange of words between AACC and AAU, Kulubya lifted the ban on Dean, Kigozi and Noble and proceeded to ban Sam Sali and John Mutenda, the main men at AACC. Kulubya was in turn counter-banned by other AAU directors and it took the intervention of the sponsor to settle storm and save the rally. After the 1999 season the idea of an alternative body — FMU — to ‘save the sport’ was mooted, conceived and executed. FMU was affiliated to National Council of Sports (NCS) in March 2000 with the backing of the top clubs that accounted for all national championship events on the AAU calendar. AAU thus lost local rallying authority The climax of the rift was in December when over 30 active drivers signed a petition abandoning AAU. AAU retained FIA powers and removed the running of Uganda’s only international rally, the Pearl of Africa rally, from its organisers MOSAC. The sponsors TOTAL sided with MOSAC, thus next weekend’s Quartz national championship. With FIA dealing with AAU, FMU’s national championship could not be recognised by FIA, but, drivers maintained they would rather settle for that than compete under the AAU umbrella. With TOTAL out, AAU looked for another sponsor — Petro — to try and save the Pearl of Africa Uganda rally this weekend The entries to both events tell the whole story. Uganda’s leading drivers, Emma Katto, current national champion Charlie Lubega, Moses Lumala, Giovanni Storchi, Dipu Ruparelia, Wycliff Bukenya and others opted out of the Petro Pearl of Africa rally. The talk is next weekend’s explosive TOTAL rally instead. For the first time in the history of the hitherto prestigious Pearl of Africa rally event, ten of the 23 entrants in the rally are foreigners. Efforts to settle the wrangle locally have been futile. On January 3, AAU patron Karim Hirji guided both parties to an agreement where FMU was supposed to accommodate AAU’s Sam Sali. When it came to signing a memorandum of understanding AAU officials declined to endorse. AAU took the battle to court seeking to block FMU’s opening event —the Caltex rally, but court threw out the AAU case and championship has since run uninterrupted. In April former sports state minister Omony Ogaba presided over negotiations that lasted 14 hours — coming up with the Ranch on the Lake Agreement that was also abandoned. AAU accused NCS of mishandling the memorandum and sought the assistance of State House, further complicating the situation. That is the scenario that faces FIA, in a country where the popularity and sponsorship of motor rallying is threatening the status of football. Ends