Why isn't Onyango on FUFA's awards?

Nov 05, 2017

To FUFA he seems like just any other footballer

Uganda Cranes goalkeeper Denis Onyango is again flying the country's flag high.

The Mamelodi Sundowns player has for the second year running been nominated for CAF's Player of the Year Award.

Onyango, who made history last year by becoming the first goalkeeper to win the award, has again been nominated for the general award and the category for Africa based players.

This was all followed by being named on the best eleven from the CAF Champions League.

His skills stood out despite Sundowns' failure to this time make it past the quarter finals. He also remains our national team's biggest star.

Interestingly, Onyango just like last year, features nowhere in nominees for Uganda's footballer of the year awards. Muzamiru Mutyaba (KCCA), Tadeo Lwanga (Vipers) and Geoffrey Sserunkuma, who was previously with KCCA and is now in Zambia, are the nominees for the Airtel FUFA awards due on December 1.

This list brings back memories of the previous award where Onyango and other foreign based players were nowhere on the list.

Weeks before the 2016 CAF vote renown ranking body International Federation of Football History & Statistics named Onyango as one of the world's best 10 goalkeepers.

But to FUFA he seemed like just any other footballer!

FUFA eventually looked funny as then Onduparaka striker Mohammed Shaban, who was just breaking through the ranks, won its award.

As it would turn out Onyango was the only CAF nominee at that time who hadn't won his local federation award!

It is the same story again. Foreign based players, who form the bulk of the Cranes, are glaringly missing on the local awards list.

For the record, Godfrey Walusimbi has just won Kenya Premier League with Gor Mahia. Emma Okwi is equally shining in Tanzania just like Moses Oloya and Geoffrey Kizito in Vietnam.

It would only make sense if FUFA says that the award is restricted locally based players.

But even that argument would point at duplication of awards. The Azam Uganda Premier League strictly awards its players.

Good performance deserves recognition irrespective of where one is playing.

For instance Zlatan Ibrahimovic has won Sweden's footballer of the year a record 10 times.

I gather that one point he even pleaded with the award organisers to consider awarding other players. But this was answered with a bold NO. Sweden insists that quality must be recognized.

Mind you he has been away from the Swedish league for over a decade but he is still honoured.

FUFA as the supreme soccer governing body should not act like a father who favours some children.

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