Champions League winner McDonald Mariga and Champions League finalist Victor Wanyama are set to visit Uganda, according to Ugandan defender Mustafa Kizza.
Kizza, who played with Wanyama at Montreal Impact in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States, revealed in an exclusive interview with Pitchside last week that he will be bringing the Mariga brothers to Kampala for a charity match.
“What I can confirm is that something big is coming: Friends of Wanyama and Mariga versus Friends of Kizza, live in Kampala,” Kizza said.
He added, “I think it will be in June, though we haven’t confirmed the exact date yet.”
“We have been having discussions with my big brothers Wanyama and Mariga.”
“They would like to come and have a game in Uganda, and I think it is going to be a huge game.”
“We are organizing and planning together to make it a memorable event.”
Kizza also described the match as having a charitable focus.
“It is going to be a bit of a charitable cause, and we are planning and talking to see if we can make it something that will be remembered.”
“I have a lot of friends, especially those I played with at KCCA and the national team, and they are positive about it. Let’s see the exact day of this event.”
The two Mariga brothers are well-known in European football circles.
McDonald Mariga became the first Kenyan player to play and win the UEFA Champions League, featuring in Inter Milan’s 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu in the 2010 final.
That season, under Jose Mourinho, Inter Milan won a treble: the Champions League, Serie A, and Coppa Italia, before going on to win the FIFA Club World Cup.
Victor Wanyama also played in a Champions League final, coincidentally in Madrid, at Atletico Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano for Tottenham, though his side lost 2-0 to Liverpool in 2019.
While Mariga remains the only Kenyan to win the Champions League, Wanyama became the first Kenyan to score in the Champions League, netting against Barcelona for Celtic in 2012.
Fans in Uganda can look forward to a high-profile charity match that brings together football legends, former teammates, and local talent for a memorable event.
