David GOMBE
Vipers SC president Dr.Lawrence Mulindwa has hinted that he is ready to leave Ugandan football but won’t bow down on his club’s stance on the new league format introduced by FUFA.
On Saturday, Vipers didn’t honour their league fixture against Kitara in a flopped double header at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole.
During an interview with New Vision Mulindwa stressed that he is ready to fight on for the good of Ugandan football but he cannot be manipulated or intimidated over something that he thinks is not right for the game of football in the country.
“I want to assure Ugandans that I can’t be intimidated, bribed, or corrupted. If you want to dismiss Vipers out of Ugandan football, I have no problem. Me I don’t feed on football; it is football that feeds on me. But Fufa feeds on football; remove football and they will not exist.
“If they are not willing to listen, I am not ready to bow down. This is the beginning of the struggle; if they don’t consider their position, we shall fight. Don’t expect to change my mind because where they are taking is gambling, manipulation of football, match fixing.”
Mulindwa asserts that FUFA should have copied from already developed leagues instead of the three phase format for the benefit of the game in the country.
“Where are we inventing this? Why not copy from the developed leagues? Even from Africa, the strongest leagues, including our neighbours, Tanzania don’t play the kind of format they want.
“South Africa, Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia had representatives in the Fifa Club World Cup with the kind of format we all know.”
Mulindwa also believes that the federation is playing on people’s minds and clubs that it will invest Shs3.4 billion into the league.
“Even with the 3.4 billion, he is just playing on people’s heads because the last team will still earn less than 10 million prize money.
“Me, I am not ready to be manipulated. I am sorry, I will leave Ugandan football if need arises and concentrate on something else. But we are not going to allow an individual or a group of few people to disorganize Ugandan football.”
The former FUFA President also took a swipe at other clubs, describing them as weak.
“We are not going to accept to be taken for a ride. Whether the rest of the teams are asleep because of the peanuts they are going to get, I am ready to stand alone and fight for the game. Let them intimidate the other teams and not me, what I demand isn’t for me as an individual but for the game, for the voiceless clubs that can be manipulated by small money.” Said the honorary FA President
Meanwhile, after the international break, Vipers SC will host Zambia’s Power Dynamos in the first leg of the second preliminary round on Sunday, 19th October at St.Mary’s Stadium in Kitende.
