AFCON DREAM ENDS: SAM SSIMBWA DROPPED FROM CRANES TECHNICAL STAFF
Local legend Sam Ssimbwa was suddenly dropped from the Uganda Cranes technical team, citing betrayal. His AFCON dream is over due to alleged 'character issues.'
For a while, Sam Ssimbwa was the link between Paul Put and the local football scene, a job he did well.
You could hear the disappointment in Ssimbwa's voice. He sounded like someone who thought he deserved to go to Morocco.
The Africa Cup of Nations was supposed to be another big moment in his Uganda Cranes career.
Instead, just before the team was set to play Tunisia, Tanzania, and Nigeria, he was dropped from the technical team. Word is that Put fired him, leaving him feeling betrayed.
Sources say Ssimbwa had already picked his 27-man squad after Put asked him to.
They even had a long talk about tactics at Put's house, and Ssimbwa was sure that Put valued his advice and wanted him around for the Morocco trip.
Then, he got a termination letter from FUFA CEO Edgar Watson.
"Yes, my contract ended," Ssimbwa said, "but I should have had the chance to help my country." One reason I was hired was to help the team get back to AFCON. It's sad that I've been let go. Other people on the team don't have contracts either. Why me?
Ssimbwa, the only Ugandan who applied for the Cranes job before Put got it, joined Put's staff soon after he was hired two years ago.
For months, he helped Put understand local football, a role he took seriously.
But things started to go wrong halfway through.
The first sign was during the Chan tournament in August. Even though Ssimbwa helped pick the players, he wasn't involved in the event.
Instead, Morley Byekwaso and Fred Muhumuza coached the team, leading Uganda to the last 16 for the first time ever.
People in Mengo say that Ssimbwa's contract wasn't renewed because of character issues, which hurts a man who played for the Cranes and assisted coaches like Lazlo Csaba in 2007.
His experience didn't matter this time.
The signs of a split were there last month.
Ssimbwa wasn't on the bench during the friendlies against Chad and Morocco, even though he traveled with the team.
Rumors said that he and Put weren't getting along, and they only seemed to patch things up after Put signed his new contract.
Now, Muhumuza is expected to join Put's permanent staff.
Put now has to show that firing Ssimbwa was the right move as he leads Uganda into Afcon 2025 and the 2027 Pamoja Afcon at home.
KCCA BOUNCE BACK: KASASIRO BOYS OVERCOME RECENT SLUMP WITH A GRITTY 2-1 BUL WIN
KCCA are back: Discover how Ivan Ahimbisibwe and Herbert Achai secured a 2-1 win over Bul to rejoin the UPL title race.
Ivan Ahimbisibwe and Herbert Achai both found the net for KCCA, either side of a Denis Sewagudde goal, in a win that really should let coaches Ssenyondo and Jackson Magera breathe a little easier.
Zeal. Hunger. Character. Attitude. That’s what KCCA coach Brian Ssenyondo wanted to see after his team got handed their third loss in five games last week, a 3-1 defeat to NEC that stung. This time, he finally got it. KCCA showed all those qualities and pulled off a gritty 2-1 victory over Bul in the Uganda Premier League at Phillip Omondi Stadium on Wednesday night.
Ahimbisibwe and Achai scored for KCCA, with Sewagudde briefly levelling for Bul, and the result means Ssenyondo and Magera can at least feel the pressure lift for now.
But maybe more importantly, this win drags KCCA back into the title race. They’re now sitting on 33 points from 17 games, just five behind leaders Vipers.
The game started off tight, both sides feeling each other out, but Bul looked a little sharper early on. Even so, it was KCCA who broke the deadlock in the 31st minute with their first real chance. They overloaded the right, Saidi Mayanja whipped in a cross, and Ahimbisibwe, timing his run just right, dived in for a header. That’s his seventh goal of the season, and honestly, he’s been one of the few bright spots among the club’s new signings.
KCCA then had to dig in. Achai made a crucial block to deny Karim Ndugwa after a cross from Reagan Kalyowa. But just before halftime, the tricky Sewagudde bent in a free kick that completely wrong-footed KCCA keeper Mutwalibi Mugolofa, and Bul were level.
After the break, KCCA rediscovered their missing edge. Four minutes into the second half, left-back Achai stormed forward, played a quick one-two with Ashraf Mugume, then hammered the ball past Bul’s Ikara at the near post.
From there, KCCA held Bul at bay, sealing a rare home-and-away double over their Njeru-based rivals, who remain eighth on 20 points.
Earlier that day, Lugazi captain Richard Ayiko grabbed the winner as his side edged UPDF 1-0 in Najjembe, giving them a six-point cushion above the relegation zone. And at the bottom, Calvary finally picked up their fifth point of the season with a goalless draw against Express in Yumbe.
TITLE RACE HEAT: HOW VIPERS DROPPING HOME POINTS GIVES KITARA A CHANCE TO STRIKE
Vipers SC stay top of the UPL with 38 points! Discover how Warren Buule’s equaliser for NEC FC shook up the title race at Kitende.
NEC are stuck in seventh place with 24 points from 17 games. Vipers, even after dropping home points for just the second time this season, hang on to the top spot with 38.
Honestly, NEC have drawn more games than they'd like, nine out of 17. That’s a lot of stalemates in the Startimes Uganda Premier League. But this time, their 1-1 draw away to the reigning champs, Vipers, felt like more than just another point. It actually meant something, especially under the lights at St. Mary’s Stadium in Kitende on Tuesday evening.
Vipers came out flying. They grabbed the lead early and pretty much ran the first half. Six minutes in, Milton Karisa latched onto a slick through ball from Karim Watambala and curled a lovely left-footed shot past NEC keeper Hannington Ssebwalunyo. That was Karisa’s sixth goal of the season, and for a minute there, it looked like the Vipers were about to run riot, just like they did in their 4-0 demolition of Buhimba last time at home.
NEC looked shaky. Coach Badru Kaddu had seen enough and made two early changes, bringing on Shamir Kimwero and Joseph Dhata for Rashid Kawawa and Daniel Shabene inside 25 minutes. The switch helped steady things, but NEC didn’t really come to life until the second half.
Then, with 15 minutes left, substitute Emmanuel Kulanga swung in a cross, and Warren Buule was there at the far post to head in the equaliser. That goal was well earned; NEC were much better after the break. Richard Basangwa, playing up front, kept his old team busy and even got Bady Da Silva and Enoch Ssebagala booked. Ssebagala didn’t last much longer, getting subbed off after a rough tackle on his former side.
NEC has been busy in the mid-season transfer window. They’ve already added six new faces, and more are on the way. Sam Ssekamatte, who scored five goals for UPDF in the first round, watched from the stands with the rest of the unused squad.
So, NEC holds on to seventh, Vipers stay top, but Kitara could shake things up if they beat URA on Thursday. This title race isn’t done yet.
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