"Where Are the Fans? FFI Leadership and Listeners Call for a FUFA Partnership to Rescue School Sports"
KAMPALA – The Saturday airwaves heated up this weekend as the Former Footballers Initiative (FFI) took center stage on Radio Simba 97.3 FM. Hosted by FFI National Coordinator Walusimbi Wooto, the show featured General Secretary John Kennedy Lubogo Mutatwala and Vice General Secretary Vicent Kayonga Luganda in a no-holds-barred discussion on the state of the beautiful game.
The broadcast began with a solemn nod to heritage. The panel honored the surviving heroes of the 1978 AFCON Final, including Paul Ssali and Tom Lwanga, while paying tribute to those who have since passed. However, the conversation quickly pivoted from past glory to a pressing modern crisis: Why are Ugandan stadiums empty?
The School System: A Broken Pipeline?
The leadership identified a systemic failure at the grassroots level. Luganda Vincent argued that the obsession with academics has choked the sporting culture that once produced the Golden Generation.
"If schools empowered football by allocating specific time for it, we would gain fans not just among the youth, but their parents too," Luganda stated.
Kennedy Lubogo reinforced this, highlighting an administrative bottleneck. "Even where schools have leverage for sports, we see teachers preventing students from attending training during scheduled times. You cannot build a fan culture when the children are locked in class," he noted.
The Voice of the People: A Call for FFI-FUFA Synergy
The listeners weighed in with brutal honesty. One caller struck a nerve, admitting he could name the entire Manchester City lineup but struggled to name a single player in Express FC.
However, the debate moved from criticism to concrete solutions. Another passionate caller urged that the burden should not rest on schools alone. He called for a formal strategic partnership between FUFA and the FFI, arguing that only by uniting the Federation’s resources with the Legends’ influence can we effectively compel schools to prioritize football again.
The listener emphasized that the FFI holds the heritage and technical know-how, while FUFA holds the mandate—together, they could launch a grassroots campaign to boost school involvement and convert young students into lifelong local fans.
To bridge this gap immediately, host Walusimbi Wooto also proposed a "Heart and Soul" approach. He advised clubs and academies to engage in community service; cleaning markets, visiting hospitals—to touch local hearts. "Support isn't just about football; it's about belonging to the community," Wooto emphasized.
"You cannot expect a harvest where you have not planted. If we lock children in classrooms and ignore community connection, we cannot be surprised when they choose the Premier League over the Uganda Premier League."
— FFI Leadership on Radio Simba
The Road to Pamoja 2027: Morocco Sets the Bar
With the "Pamoja" AFCON bid on the horizon, the panel reflected on the impeccable organization of the recent tournament in Morocco. The contrast with Uganda's current infrastructure was stark.
The executives discussed the logistical nightmares plaguing local fans; specifically poor roads, heavy traffic jams, and the lack of a rapid rail system. Furthermore, Wooto recalled the chaotic ticketing system during the recent CHAN tournament, where tickets were sold out in the dead of night only to resurface on the black market at inflated prices of up to UGX 150,000.
A Call to Government
The conclusion was clear: Football cannot fix itself in isolation. Lubogo pointed out that high match fares discourage turnout in a tough economy. The FFI Leadership issued a direct call to the Government to collaborate with the initiative, rooting football development right from the early years to ensure that when AFCON 2027 arrives, the stands are full of passionate Ugandans, not just empty seats.
