Squabbles hamper Express FC's preparations

Sep 14, 2012

AS Moses Basena expresses his readiness, financial constraints coupled with administrative wrangles at Express FC, could peg back the Red Eagles’ aspirations.

By Silvano Kibuuka

FOR new Express FC coach Moses Basena, he is ready for the Africa challenge in the 2013 CAF Champions League.

But as the coach expresses his readiness financial constraints coupled with administrative wrangles in the club, could peg back the Red Eagles’ aspirations.

Basena was recruited following the departure of league title winning coach Sam Ssimbwa to Victoria University at the close of last season.

“As coach, I am very prepared for the challenge. Continental football is my level and I have been there in the past 10 years.

I have worked at that level with Uganda’s Simba, SC Villa, URA and recently Simba FC of Tanzania,” enumerated the former Cranes midfielder. 

“But one of my worries is that the current crop of Express players are just going to play at that stage for the first time,” said Basena.

Basena was equally worried that the club lost seven members of the league winning outfit during the transfer window.

But his consolation is that they were also assembled by Express in one season. 

“I know there are good players in the club who need to be built in confidence if the league is smooth to adjust for big competition,” the coach noted.

He recalled a similar challenge in 2000 when he moved to SC Villa and had to base on few key players to start a fresh team.

Financial woes

The former Coffee SC and Villa player is praying that the club at least buys a striker, one midfielder, a defender and a goalkeeper. 

But this may not be possible owing to the poor financial state and administrative wrangles currently rocking the club.

Club secretary John Kitenda said the team’s good performance on the pitch may not be sustainable in the long run after all!

“The situation is not good,” the soft-spoken head of the Buganda Kingdom treasury announced. 

“The current good performance by our players on the pitch may not be sustainable in the long run. Our financial base is very weak. We are largely depending on hand outs from individual well-wishers and gate collections,” Kitenda narrated just before close of last season. 

He said sometimes even the gate collection for a particular match was not enough to cater for operational expenses.

Team split into factions

But the situation is not helped by the fact that the club is being ripped apart administratively. 

The latest was on Monday when the team was divided on factional lines to train at two venues.

One allegedly on orders of one of the club directors Kavuma Kabenge trained at Nakivubo while another obedient to club president Bbaale Mugera and the rest of the executive remained at the ‘home’ ground at Wankulukuku.

Technical committee chairman Francis Ntalazi insisted that ‘as Express, we are obliged to participate in the league recognised by FUFA’ and the move to take the training to Nakivubo was a ploy to divert the team.

Fans challenged Bbaale Mugera to clarify on the powers of Kabenge, who was unavailable for comment, as a ‘majority shareholder’ in the club.

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