Africa-Press – Uganda. The opening day of the 2021 season of the Masaza Cup at the Fufa Technical Centre in Njeru was unusual in many ways. The defending champions, Gomba Lions, put up a performance of underweight poorly fed soldiers while the usual majestic ceremonials lacked the spectacle of past.
During the highly anticipated opening game, Gomba Lions, who dominated opponents last season, fell under the might of hard pressing Kyadondo Isaac Ssenyunja quickfire double in the opening three minutes.
First, Ssenyunja caught Gomba defenders napping to beat a helpless Peter Katongole for the opener. A quick transition yielded into a corner which flew past left-back Sadat Mukembo as Senyunja hung long enough in the air to head in the second.
It could have been worse in the rest of the first half had Katongole not saved the numerous point blank attempts.
The Lions were not typical of an Ibrahim Kirya-coached side. Gomba players were rusty for most of the first half until they stepped up in the second half although they stayed in the same gear all evening –rarely threatening while living in danger.
Kirya blamed the ragtag performance on the little time for preparations. He said the team was in camp for just eight days ahead of the tournament. To make matters worse, only four players from last year’s winning squad returned.
“Our task is to pick ourselves up and perform better in the next games. Our fans expect us to do better and we shall not let them down,” Kirya said.
Kabula lurking
That task begins today with a tie against unpredictable Kabula. But even if they are to recover, they are too meek to be feared in the advanced stages of the competition. Their obvious flaws will be exploited by genuine title contenders Buddu, Busiro and Kyaggwe.
For Kyadondo, the triumph was a stepping stone to their ambitions. Head coach Anthony Ssekitto now dreams of a place in, at least, the quarterfinals.
“We know our strength and we’ll work as a team to achieve even more of what people think of us. Gomba underrated us and we caught them off-guard. We’ll continue surprising everyone,” Ssekitto said.
Kyadondo’s ambitions will be tested by Ssingo during a mid-day clash.
Glance at the King
Few fans were allowed closer to the Kabaka, who was the chief guest.
Most of the media, who had attended under strict permission, were barred from photographing or filming the king. Apart from the official crew, all other media was temporarily housed in the stands during the opening ceremonies.
No television personnel apart from Satellite Media and BBS, the official kingdom broadcasters, were offered access to the venue.
Although no explanation was offered, this paper understands it arose from a past footage that was circulated on social media showing the then weak Kabaka at a function in his palace.
Yet, from a distance, the Kabaka looked buoyant. He autographed the matchday ball, which the chairman of the organising committee, Sulaiman Sejjengo, took to the referee for the kickoff that had been delayed for 30 minutes.
“There is no more pleasure for the subjects than when the Kabaka makes a public appearance,” Sejjengo later said at the media conference.
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