Team Uganda Crowned Champions of East African Legends Football Festival in Nairobi
David GOMBE
Team Uganda clinched the second edition of the annual East African Legends Football Festival that was held in Nairobi, Kenya.
The tournament kicked off on Monday at Nairobi City Stadium and climaxed on Wednesday with Uganda emerging victorious.
Uganda began the campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Zanzibar, but picked themselves up in the second game with a 2-0 win over hosts Kenya and a walkover against Tanzania.
Uganda finished the tournament with six points to lift the gold-coated trophy. Zanzibar registered five points to take silver, Kenya was third with four points, while Tanzania finished fourth.
The tournament is contested by former East African football legends aged 60 and above.
Team Uganda, under the Former Footballers Initiative, will return home in glory following a great showing during the three-day event.
For starters, the Former Footballers Initiative (FFI), is a body that brings together all retired football players in the country who once played association football is one of those at the fore.FFI chairman Hajji Isaac Mubarak Ngobya, Vice Chairman John Baptist Ntensibe, General Secretary John Kennedy Lubogo, his immediate deputy Vincent Kayonga Luganda among other leaders.
Uganda’s Squad
The victorious team featured former Cranes and club football stars including:
•Team Captain Jimmy Ssekandi- formerly of Express FC, Uganda Commercial Bank FC, KCC FC and Nsambya FC
•Kennedy Lubogo* – former Wandegeya, Express FC and Entebbe Works player
•Edward Nsubuga – former Nsambya right-back
•William Makumbi – former Express FC defender
•Rajab Sekalye – former SC Villa defender
•Polycap Kisekka – former UCB captain
•Issa Salim Isabirye – midfielder for Nytil, Nsambya, Kenya’s Taitex Mills FC and Kenya Breweries, now Tusker FC
•Ali Ssengedeya– goalkeeper who featured for the Uganda Cranes at the 1974 and 1976 Africa Cup of Nations
•Isa Ssekatawa – former KCC, Nytil and Express FC forward, the only player to win the Ugandan top-flight golden boot for three consecutive seasons and scored the first goal at this year’s East African legends festival.
•Edward Baguma– also featured at the 1974 and 1976 Africa Cup of Nations, Hussein Matovu former Uganda Cranes goalkeeper at the 1976 and 1978 AFCON tournaments. Fred Sserugga Musisi was aso part of the team as well as Saul Kizito.
Wooto Walusimbi was the leader of the delegation for Team Uganda in Nairobi.
This year’s festival was held under the theme “The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives” and was organised by AgeWatch Africa under the banner “Dignity in Every Season.”