Last Friday, it took many by surprise when court slapped an injunction on the Villa presidential elections that were slated for August 28.I am one of the few who welcome that decision because it may have saved the club from disaster after a flawed electoral process spearheaded by Moses Magogo.
Hours later, Magogo rolled out a social media missive criticizing the move but what he didn’t realize is that he exposed his machinations at the club.By claiming he has been singlehandedly financially helping the club over the last few months, he exposed the current William Nkemba-led leadership as incompetent.
By saying he has been buying players for the club and that it would have been relegated if it wasn’t for his tactics further exposed himself about how he harbours vested interests in Villa beyond being a fan he claims to be.Meanwhile, any sane football fan will realize that Villa has been relying on boardroom decisions to stay afloat. In fact, the message Magogo sends to match officials and the Uganda Premier League organisers is that one should handle Villa leniently lest they lose their jobs.
Therefore, the injunction caught got him off guard and is further testament that it would have been a futile attempt for the petitioner to report to a Fufa that is already impartial.What surprises me is that the same Magogo that is crying foul over the court injunction stopped the Villa elections in 2018 at the last minute without considering the effort and expenditure of the process. He didn’t even have the courtesy to call me but this showed him that courts of law are power powerful than Fufa.
Now that the main suit is going to be heard soon, it is time to reflect on the smooth way forward for the club.Villa is a community club with more than 44,000 registered fans as per 2018 when I left the club presidency. I left structures right from village level, division, district and region.
Unfortunately, those grassroots structures have been ignored in preference of a small unit of about 1,000 members under the Villa Members Trust, who are the only eligible people to vote.Matters are not helped by the fact that the new club constitution drafted by Magogo discriminates fans based on education level. For example, the requirement of an O-level certificate as the minimum qualification to serve on the club executive locks out the core of club fans who put in efforts to mobilize, support and financially sustain the club.
We all know football administration is not sophisticated and such a clause will only disassociate the core fan base from the club.It also means that many of the great men who have led Villa to success since 1979 wouldn’t be eligible to serve in the current era of elitism. Meanwhile, the main suit will help the club sort out the identity dilemma because on one hand is the Villa Management Trust, a registered non-profit organisation by seven individuals, while on the other hand the club constitution addresses the club as a business entity.I have severally addressed these anomalies with the leadership but nothing has been done so far. Therefore, this is my rallying call to all club stakeholders to voice their concerns and address the loopholes if Villa is to return to the glory days. History has already shown that trying to rebuild Villa from the top doesn’t work.
Therefore, regardless of whether elections are held in the near future, Villa will only rejuvenate with the participation and efforts of the fans from the grassroots.
