Africa-Press – Uganda. On Friday afternoon, an S.O.S message to save Ibrahim Buwembo went out all over social media.
“Former Cranes international Ibrahim Buwembo is critically ill at his home at Lufuka, Makindye Division. The family is seeking financial support to take the player to the hospital. Please share and mobilise the funds,” so it read.
There had been a rush by the football federation, Fufa, to get him to a health facility in the hours preceding that message. He died at Mengo hospital on Friday night and was buried on Saturday.
For a man who lived his life largely in the eyes of storms, controversy and limelight, his end was very quiet.
Buwembo first burst into the limelight more than four decades ago and over the next phase of his life, he was known to pursue money.
First did with his wizardry left foot, then tried his hand as coach before becoming an agent, a radio football pundit, a critic of football authorities and then retreated to meekness as his health started to fail this year.
The beginning
Buwembo started out at State House in 1981 before he joined Express in 1986. A year later, he moved to Coffee.
That’s the place where he stayed longest and played his best football, earning summons to the national team – Uganda Cranes.
After winning the 1992 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup, he left to play semi-professional football in Oman and Vietnam in 1993.
It’s during this phase that Buwembo got contacts to become a football agent, ferrying several Ugandan players to gulf.
One of those was the late Willy Kyambadde who earned the moniker ‘Black Maradona’ in Vietnam.
Buwembo came home in the late 1990s and joined Simba, reaching the 1998 Uganda Cup final which they lost to SC Villa.
The Red Eagles gave him a call and he rejoined in 2001, 15 years after his exit. A Uganda Cup title was all he mastered for the side.
The left winger had a brief stint at Super Cubs in 2005 and 2006, as a coach player. He also tried his hand as assistant coach at Express briefly.
Later life
A reminder of the challenges of life-after-football and social security in this country, Buwembo did not succumb to these shortfalls fast.
Cutting his niche as a critic About the way football was being run, he became a regular on Dembe FM’s ‘Ekyoto Ky’emizzanyo’ every Sunday. He remained relevant.
In his deep but laissez-faire voice, he went after almost everyone in football administration that came after his playing days.
Buwembo never believed they had a heart for the game and cared about players. These topics became interesting and many local radio stations wanted a slice of Buwembo.
Amidst all that, he continued to pursue deals for players in Asia.
So often, he was accused by clubs and Fufa of doing so illegally for which he had run-ins with many in football.
As far back as 2001 and later 2005, SC Villa wore their boxing gloves to fight him, accusing him of ‘smuggling’ their players.
Many got as good as they gave as Buwembo never took a battle lying down. The mic became his place to vent, rant and demand for what he felt was due to footballers.
Over the past few years, he mellowed down after meeting Fufa president Moses Magogo and took a slot of the Fufa FM to tell stories from the past in voice. They were always interesting and marinated by controversy which was his middle name.
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