KCCA Coach Mike Mutebi says that his side is aiming at wining each of the StarTimes Uganda premier league second round games so as to retain the title. The reigning champions toiled to a 1-0 home win at Mbarara City on Wednesday at the StarTimes stadium, Lugogo courtesy of Filbert Obenchan second half goal.
The right back came off the bench in the second stanza for Musa Ramathan to head home Hassan Musana’s corner from left ten minutes to hour mark. Musana had also replaced Mike Mutyaba in the second half.
“We have to win every game if we are to retain the title. We have been let down by this licensing process because some of the players we want to use have inconsistent information on their passports and national identity cards which has hindered their licensing process,” noted Mutebi, who credited Mbarara City for the organization and discipline exhibited on Wednesday.
KCCA, who lost the reverse fixture 2-1 at Kakyeka, had not won any game against Mbarara City prior to Wednesday victory and they are second on log with 35 points, one adrift leaders Vipers SC that play Kyetume this Friday. Defeat for Mbarara, their seventh in 16 matches, keeps them in eighth place on 19 points. KCCA played this match without their two most dependable players in wing-back Mustafa Kizza and forward Allan Okello, who are said to be engrossed in protracted transfer talks. Mutebi said that the duo is still KCCA FC players until further notice and they will offer them better contracts albeit the choice to stay remaining in their hands. There has been this grapevine talk of Allan Okello and Mustafa Kizza not willing to extend their contracts. We are going to present what we believe as a club to them. When we offer these contracts and they are not happy, then we shall let them go,” stated Mutebi.
Okello who was crowned the best player in Uganda last year has been linked with a move to Wydad Athletic Casablanca (WAC) while Kizza has been rumored to be in talks with Tanzanian outfit Azam FC. It is reported that Kizza asked for Shs100m but KCCA were only willing to offer Shs70m.
Mutebi went ahead to state that the players that were promoted from their junior side will renew their contracts soon including Steven Sserwadda, Allan Okello, Mustafa Kizza, Julius Poloto and Peter Magambo.
“It’s been our policy since we joined here that we promote players from our development side and already we are promoting three in Sunday Opio, Dominic Ayella and Moses Aliro,” noted Mutebi, who also stated they are not interested in singing any new player outside their development side in the ongoing transfer window.
“What we have experienced is that whenever we have brought in players, most of them have not helped to solve the problems we had with the exception of Geoffrey Sserunkuma and Mike Mutyaba. So why should we spend our energy on teaching them again instead of preparing our own? We have this young squad and we only have to extend their contracts so that they stay at the club. They have started their career by winning so we have justification to tell the club to hand them juicy contracts,” explained Mutebi.
He advised Okello and Kizza along with other local players to avoid switching from their clubs to international clubs before they are “I have groomed Okello and Kizza, I know their potential, and I know they are not yet ready. They still have a lot to master to compete favorably out there. But no player shall put KCCA at ransom when I am still the coach of this club. If you feel tired, we let you go,” the outspoken tactician warned. KCCA visit Bright Stars on January 14 at Kavumba recreation center.
