Abdallah Mubiru’s revival in the dugout must be reference point

Lost in the details of the ‘what worked and what did not work’ narrative around the spruced up Mandela National Stadium in Namboole is the story of another renaissance.

The institution that is KCCA FC is attuned to the virtuous aesthetics of wellness. In recent times, the public has become accustomed to seeing the club's head coaches look very dapper and clean-cut. 

The fresh coat of paint that Namboole received courtesy of the UPDF does not quite come close to either Mike Mutebi's dark silk suits or Morley Byekwaso's slim fit suaveness.

Enter Abdallah Mubiru, an enchantingly paradoxical figure, who has gained renown for suffering a series of setbacks thanks to opting to run dressing rooms with genteel insistence.

It might sound like a stretch to come to the conclusion that Mubiru puts no effort into his appearance and finds comfort in dressing to an understated effect; yet, in fact, that is not far from the truth. 

When Mubiru returned at Lugogo last November for a second bite at the cherry as KCCA FC head coach, the 13-time league champions dressed to more than just understated effect.

A catastrophic miscalculation to hire a foreign coach had laid bare the untenable contradictions at the club. KCCA FC, with four points under its belt from as many matches, stared the prospect of a relegation dogfight in the face.

Fast forward to the midweek stadium reopening in Namboole, KCCA FC's 2-0 win over SC Villa leaves them seven points off table-topping Bul FC. If the Kasasiro Boys win their game in hand, the deficit could be brought down to just four points.

Evidently, the 38 points that Mubiru has engineered from the KCCA FC dugout will be music to the ears of the club's board that wants to be pleased but not challenged. 

Mubiru's genteel upbringing means that chances of the board being challenged are few and far between, if any. Before returning to Lugogo, the courteous and soft-spoken coach had reportedly wanted Charles Livingstone Mbabazi to be his No.2.

When the board flatly rejected the request, Mubiru quickly readjusted and has since worked up a camaraderie with Kefa Kisala.

The latter wrote his greatest chapters as a player at Express FC, but nevertheless wore KCCA FC's colours during that ill-fated 1999 season when Asuman Lubowa's so-called “World XI” flattered to deceive.

While at Lugogo, as Sérgio Traguil can attest, a past attachment to the club counts for much. Yet this was not necessarily the case when Mubiru was replaced by Mutebi as head coach in 2015.

The final straw that broke the proverbial camel's back came after Mubiru failed to win the Uganda Cup to salvage a turbulent season.  

After finishing a staggering 15 points behind eventual league champions, Vipers SC, the Cup final gave Mubiru a shot at redemption.

The final, staged at the Kyamate playground in Ntungamo, would prove to be quite something.

Your columnist vividly remembers the sun beating down on a spectacle of unrivalled hotness as KCCA FC and SC Villa walked onto the surprisingly well-manicured Ntungamo pitch.

The refereeing disasterclass that Robert Donney displayed lingers on today.

Mubiru, in utter disbelief, openly wept. As did some of his players. Eventually, the match was abandoned. 

Julius Kabugo, the club chairman, put his arm around Mubiru's shoulders. It was thought he would continue to do so even after KCCA FC was soundly defeated in the Cup final replay at Namboole. Alas. While Mubiru was handed a pink slip, Mutebi—his replacement—received a fat contract and sweeping powers to go with.

Mubiru could have few complaints after so enraging KCCA FC's fan base that season. The playfully experimental sensibility that he brought and culminated in him playing Ivan Ntege, a midfield bulwark, at right back, and Joseph Ochaya, a left back, as a centre-half reaped the whirlwind.

Last November, during his unveiling as KCCA FC coach, Mubiru said that he left Lugogo “as a boy and returned as a man.” His ebbs and flows should embolden up and coming coaches like David Obua.

It is okay to burn your fingers whilst attempting to put together a mouthwatering buffet. Comfort is to be found in the fact that, at some point, boys do eventually make that huge leap into manhood.