During the course of the week, a video surfaced in which wingback Mustafa Kizza and Coach Abdallah Mubiru were seen having a heated argument after the 2-all draw between KCCA and Solitlo Bright Stars in the Uganda Premier League. The video, posted by sports journalist Gystin Angarukiremu, showed Mustafa Kizza speaking in the local dialect Luganda, where he was visibly upset, questioning Abdallah Mubiru about why he was blamed for every error committed on the pitch. This confrontation led to Kizza bursting into tears, with teammate Achai seen trying to calm him down.
These scenes prompted Cranes teammate Abdu Lumala, who plays his club football in Croatia, to advise Mustafa Kizza to leave Uganda and try his luck elsewhere, citing hypocrisy. However, Lumala later deleted the post from his facebook page.
Mustafa Kizza has had limited playing time at the Kasasiro boys team during his third stint since returning from Portuguese side Arouca FC under Abdallah Mubiru. However, whenever given playing time, he has attempted to impress the coach with decisive performances, including scoring a spot-kick goal against Vipers, securing KCCA their first win against the Venoms at their home ground, St. Mary’s Stadium Kitende.
Incidents of player fights in the UPL have been poorly documented as clubs have attempted to handle these issues away from the media. Another notable scenario occurred in April when it was reported that the then Arua Hill Coach, Livingston Mbabazi, nearly got into a physical altercation with Reagan Mpande after an error that almost cost them during a Uganda Premier League match.
Many of these fights have resulted in strained relationships between players and coaches, sometimes leading to either the coach or the player leaving the club. A prominent example is the disagreement between Jadon Sancho and Ten Hag, as well as the one that saw Cristiano Ronaldo leave United under strained circumstances despite being a club legend.
At a time when KCCA is attempting to regroup with younger players after a challenging start to the season, coach-player conflicts are something they cannot afford to entertain if they hope to achieve success in the next two seasons. This altercation has raised questions about Kizza’s future at the club; however, the decision will ultimately be made by Abdallah Mubiru regarding whether he still includes him in his plans for the near future.
