SC Villa fans are angry that the decision taken to dismiss coach Deo Sserwadda after one defeat to start Uganda Premier League season was made out of naivety by club president, Ben Misagga.
Onduparaka edged SC Villa 4-3 in a dramatic League game played on Saturday and the coach’s undoing reportedly came with him benching goalkeeper Yasin Mugabi in favour of Ashadu Bugembe, who was at fault for three of Onduparaka’s goals not as per his contractual obligation as claimed by the club.
A club statement confirming the exit of former Kyambogo University boss Sserwadda said: “The club officially ended the contractual relationship with Mr. Deo Serwadda, the former coach.”
“At the start of the season, Mr. Serwadda signed a performance based contract with the club. The nature if the contract was a performance based one; where he had to win the first six league (games) for the contract to stand.”
However, Sserwada was dismissed on Sunday following a simple meeting, which reportedly took place in Kampala, with the ‘Yasin Mugabi’ issue at hand.
One fan who identified himself as Jamilu Katende said: “I am surprised what has happened to Sserwadda. This decision was over a single player who wasn’t given game time and that makes people angry.
“We went through difficult times when the club was in the process of collecting players’ wages by passing a basket around the stands and now you see everything that is happening with the current leadership and it sickens you.”
“Missaga is a bomb ticking away. He wasn’t ready for top football management, period. He is a mere crazy club fan. No difference between him and fans who throw stones, disrupt games with an unsporting gusto that all games are for him to win,” another fan Henry Lubowa said on social media.
Daily Monitor also claimed that Sserwadda’s the curious decision to start Bugembe in goal ahead of the more experienced Mugabi will haunt him. According to Misagga, the coach personally requested for the signing of Mugabi who was in goal against Proline a fortnight ago after recovering from injury.
Is Misagga Villa’s problem?
Deo Sserwadda becomes sixth coach to be sacked in three years under Ben Misagga’s reign at Villa.
Even at his unveiling as SC Villa’s head coach at Jevine Hotel in Ndeeba in July, there appeared doubts about Misagga’s choice despite Sserwadda boasting over 10 years coaching experience.
“This is a decision the executive reached after advice from technical people but also because Fufa is telling us about the required qualifications which unfortunately Ibrahim Kirya did not match,” Peter Ssenkungu, the club’s Vice President, speaking in vernacular, stated in his opening remarks.
“Many of you don’t like change but sometimes it is good to welcome it,” he added.
Consequently, the reins were handed to Sserwadda with a backroom staff consisting of Shafic Bisaso as his assistant and Christopher Lobbo as goalkeeping coach.
And, today another Villa fan that preferred anonymity but called himself Dunn come out in support of Sserwadda and called Misagga ‘naïve’.
“This is typical football naivety from Misagga. You cannot expect to build a team and then get very good results at the same time,” he said, adding: “This Ugandan way of doing things using ‘fixes’ is not sustainable in modern soccer. If Misagga is firing Sserwadda for a loss to Onduparaka in Arua, he should remember that KCCA lost there recently but this has not stopped KCCA from being on top of the table.”
He further launches his scathing attacks against the SC Villa boss.
“For Misagga to fire Sserwadda less than six months after he hired him points to the fact that Misagga himself did not do his homework before hiring Sserwadda.
“Now poor Bisaso is going to equally lose games. Remember Sserwadda was his team mate. Bisaso knows he is gona be fired, so he won’t care a bit. Who loses? Misagga and SC Villa!
“This is endeless naivety from Misagga.
Sserwadda is a Caf License B holder and had been handling fourth division side Police Mobile (Police’s junior team) and Kyambogo University before joining Villa.
He is a 2006 topflight league and 2005 Uganda Cup winner from his time at URA.
Sserwadda, who played as left back and featured prominently during SC Villa’s dominant period of 1998-2004, had become the club’s sixth coach in three years since Misagga took charge.
The Blues last won the league title in 2004.
