During the unveiling of Vipers’ new manager Nikola Kovazovic last week, the Club President Dr. Lawrence Mulindwa criticized the majority of the Ugandan local coaches calling them ‘unprofessional’.
It was Uganda Cranes assistant coach Sam Ssimbwa and former KCCA FC tactician Mike Mutebi who Mulindwa singled out for praise as professionals.
And to a certain extent, Ssimbwa agreed with Mulindwa when contacted by this reporter for comment.
“First of all, it is his opinion and anyone else can agree or disagree with him,” Ssimbwa said before adding.
“I agree with him to a smaller percentage because there are some colleagues whose names I will not mention that you look at what they are doing and you wonder.”
He added: “This is seen in terms of how they conduct themselves on and off the field which is not pleasing.”
“However, most of the local coaches here are professional enough and that number exceeds me and Mutebi.”
“The likes of Abdallah Mubiru, Alex Isabirye, the late Fred Kajoba, Moses Basena, Maria Lule are all professional and it is seen from their deliverables and the list can go on,” he noted.
Mulindwa stated that he always opts for foreign coaches not only for their level of professionalism but also for the value they add to players who learn a lot from them compared to local tacticians.
“How he conducts business at Vipers is completely up to him because it is his entity he should do what he wants until maybe when he finds what he needs,” said Ssimbwa
“I do not think he is satisfied with the foreign coaches he hires either that is why he keeps changing them.”
“A couple of local coaches have won for him trophies and they deserve some respect beyond what he calls ‘every coach can win trophies’”, Ssimbwa further explained.
Alex Isabirye is the most recent local coach to win trophies at Kitende when he landed a domestic double for the club in the 2022/23 campaign and that was the first time the Venoms were winning the StarTimes Uganda Premier League and the Stanbic Uganda Cup in the same season.
Meanwhile, Roberto Oliveira alias Robertinho is unarguably Vipers’ best foreign manager ever. During his tenure, the Brazilian won the SUPL and the Uganda Cup. He most importantly, guided the Kitende-based outfit to the group stages of the CAF Champions League for the first time in their history.
However, Ssimbwa still believes that even Oliveira was not good enough despite the above achievement.
