At last! Now let’s clean up all sport
GOVERNMENT has suspended the executive of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) so that the National Council of Sports can investigate its numerous scandals unimpeded.
GOVERNMENT has suspended the executive of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) so that the National Council of Sports can investigate its numerous scandals unimpeded. In particular the NCS will probe the mortgage of FUFA House to a briefcase company for sh300m.
At last, the NCS has got tough with a rogue sports association. They must now push ahead to clean up FUFA permanently. Football clubs should now elect the FUFA executive rather than district officials. Denis Obua should refund the missing money. And FUFA should take up the offer of a full-time Chief Executive Officer to be paid by FIFA from Zurich. FUFA can then be managed transparently and independently.
However the NCS should not stop with football. Almost every sport is tainted by maladministration, self-interest and corruption.
Uganda used to be a high achiever in international sports. Now it’s a consistent failure. The only area where it succeeds are in sports where committed individuals are allowed to organise without interference — for instance the KKL youth team which won major tournaments in Europe; the Uganda cricket team which almost qualified for the World Cup last year; and the rugby sevens team which beat France earlier this year.
Uganda has the talent but is being suffocated by sports administrators who are only interested in personal gain.
So, NCS should insist that all sports associations produce annual accounts with approved external auditors, and hold regular elections where officials have to meet minimum qualifications in terms of education and playing experience in a particular sport. If they don’t, their executives should be suspended like FUFA.
Cabinet has recently approved a new sports policy to beef up NCS and regulate Uganda’s sports associations by dictating minimum standards and benchmarks. MPs should give it all the support that it deserves as soon as it arrives in Parliament.
Ends
At last, the NCS has got tough with a rogue sports association. They must now push ahead to clean up FUFA permanently. Football clubs should now elect the FUFA executive rather than district officials. Denis Obua should refund the missing money. And FUFA should take up the offer of a full-time Chief Executive Officer to be paid by FIFA from Zurich. FUFA can then be managed transparently and independently.
However the NCS should not stop with football. Almost every sport is tainted by maladministration, self-interest and corruption.
Uganda used to be a high achiever in international sports. Now it’s a consistent failure. The only area where it succeeds are in sports where committed individuals are allowed to organise without interference — for instance the KKL youth team which won major tournaments in Europe; the Uganda cricket team which almost qualified for the World Cup last year; and the rugby sevens team which beat France earlier this year.
Uganda has the talent but is being suffocated by sports administrators who are only interested in personal gain.
So, NCS should insist that all sports associations produce annual accounts with approved external auditors, and hold regular elections where officials have to meet minimum qualifications in terms of education and playing experience in a particular sport. If they don’t, their executives should be suspended like FUFA.
Cabinet has recently approved a new sports policy to beef up NCS and regulate Uganda’s sports associations by dictating minimum standards and benchmarks. MPs should give it all the support that it deserves as soon as it arrives in Parliament.
Ends