UN chief Ban Ki-Moon & Ugandan President Museveni to play football on Uganda’s war victims day, 30 May 2010

What a great fun idea. Let's hope this report is true.

Secretary General, Uganda President to play football
From Afrik.com by Geof Maggaun - Friday, 21 May 2010:

Ugandans are eagerly waiting for a football match in which UN secretary general, Ban Ki-Moon is expected to play on the same pitch with Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni.

According to the organizers of the match, which is meant to honour war victims in Uganda, Ki-moon and Museveni will play in different teams made up of war victims from northern Uganda.

The match is being organized by a non government organization called Uganda victims foundation. The chairman of the foundation, Santos, John Labeja said ’’UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon will be playing in a football game at Nelson Mandela stadium on the eve of a review conference for the ICC scheduled to take place in Uganda starting on May 31st. Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni will also be playing in a game that will last 60 minutes.’’

According to him the football game will be a highlight that will mark Uganda’s war victims day, which falls on Sunday, 30th May 2010. The day is meant to remember those harassed by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in northern Uganda. He said most of them still remain traumatized.

LRA rebles fought Uganda government troops from 1987 up to 2006 when they were flushed from Uganda and they escaped to southern Sudan. They killed many people and harassed others by beating and cutting off parts of their bodies’’

They accepted to talk peace and participated in peace talks until 2008 when the talks were concluded but their leader Joseph Kony refused to sign the final peace agreement.

His refusal prompted an attack from Ugandan, southern Sudan and Democratic republic of Congo’s troops at the rebels base in Garamba forest in Congo.Since then the rebels have been attacking people in Central African republic and western Congo villages.

A Ugandan football team adminstrator, Dan Mukasa said,’’ We are eagerly waiting for the match. It is interesting to see people of high profile playing football with war victims. I am sure the stadium will fill to capacity.’’

Uganda’s Under-17 football team prepares to compete in Sudan from August 19-31

From The Observer, Uganda by John Vianney Nsimbe, 10 August 2009:
National U-17 footballers face daunting task

Since finishing second at the Under-17 CECAFA Cup in 2007, Uganda’s Under-17 football team hasn’t been active. Richard Wasswa, the team’s coach suggests that it’s high time Uganda sets up regular under age competitions to keep the young players active.

As the team prepares to compete in this year’s tournament in Sudan from August 19-31, Wasswa told The Observer that without under age competitions, it becomes hard to spot players.

“The time has run out for us to start building a new team. It would have been easier if there were regular under age competitions where we would have spotted the best talent early on,” says Wasswa.

Wasswa concludes that it’s important that our young players get more competition so that they get experience before such major events. Guest teams like Nigeria and Egypt will grace this event. Uganda will be in group ‘B’ battling Kenya, Ethiopia and Zanzibar.

jovi@observer.ug