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SC Villa get their Namboole wish
Namboole still has to fit a tartan running track. PHOTOS/EDDIE CHICCO
What you need to know:
After a meeting between Namboole, contractors - UPDF, SC Villa and Sports Minister Peter Ogwang, which lasted for two hours or thereabouts, the Champions League match between the Blues and CBE (Ethiopia) will proceed at the stadium as scheduled by Caf
SC Villa management and fans breathed a sigh of relief on Wednesday afternoon after last ditch talks salvaged their Caf Champions League preliminary first leg match against the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE).
Until then, the encounter was shrouded in uncertainty after Mandela National Stadium (MNS), Namboole on July 30 told Villa in a letter that they would be able to host them due to the ongoing renovations. Laying of the tartan track was the main reason.
After that correspondence, some members of the Villa executive sat last Monday and agreed to meet the contractor the following Wednesday.
While they did not meet the UPDF Engineering Brigade, who are the main contractors, the Villa officials met with a subcontractor, who reiterated NMS’ earlier stance in the letter.
Frantic meeting, phone calls
With the situation fast degenerating into desperation, the State Minister for Sports, Peter Ogwang - while opening the Afcon 2025 offices in Lugogo on Tuesday - promised to meet Villa, Namboole management and the UPDF the following day for a way forward.
That meeting finally happened at Namboole on Wednesday and after long deliberations punctuated by Ogwang and Villa president Omar Mandela stepping out to make or answer phone calls at different intervals, it was agreed that the match would proceed.
“Measures have been agreed upon to be undertaken for us to protect the work that is ongoing and successfully play the match within the arena without any undue interruptions,” Villa CEO William Nkemba said after the meeting.
Asked what the actual guidelines had been agreed upon in the meeting, Nkemba said “for now I know that we will have a meeting (another) that will get down to the details of accessibility to the stadium.”
Contractor hardly pleased
Efforts to get reaction from Namboole acting managing Roland Kyalisiima via a phone call were unsuccessful while the UPDF Engineering Brigade’s response was that of frustration, to say the least.
The UPDF engineer overseeing the Namboole renovation, Lt. Col. Peter Kidemuka, was seen greeting minister Ogwang earlier on at Namboole but told Daily Monitor later in the day that he did not personally attend the meeting.
“I was there in the morning but I left afterwards,” he said, “I left them with my team of Maj. Rugasira doing the negotiations and if a patriotic decision was agreed and taken, then that is it. We are all patriotic.”
Maj Francis Rugasira is in charge of legal affairs of the UPDF Engineering Brigade.
Asked what specific measures were agreed on in the meeting to both host the match and safeguard the ongoing renovations, Lt. Col Kidemuka said he was “waiting for a briefing from his team.”
From his tone and response, Lt. Col Kidemuka was far from pleased. Not when his expert opinion was trampled upon by a political decision. 'Patriotic' if you like!
Earlier on Tuesday, Kidemuka had struggled to see how the stadium would host a match that will bring in thousands of fans without messing with the ongoing laying of a tartan truck.
“Honestly I don’t see it happening,” he said of hosting the match, “the truth is that as an engineer, if the match goes ahead on Saturday, they will destroy the tartan.
“We are building something that will serve us for the future and the government has invested a lot of money in it. We need to understand that.
"You tell me, how do they access the pitch without destroying the track? Unless they're dropped in by an aeroplane, I don’t see it happening."
