Coach Mike Mutebi has made startling revelations in the aftermath of his recent departure from from his post as KCCA FC coach.
The eccentric gaffer had his contract terminated with just two months to run down with his immediate assistant Morley Byekwaso taking over reigns on the interim basis until the end of the season.
In a recent interview with 93.3 KFM, Mutebi revealed that he had decided not to renew his contract owing to interference from the club board.
“My contract was expiring in June but I wasn’t going to see it out,” the gaffer stated. “I had already started to see indicators of people trying to interfere in what I was doing, and may be some people wanted more glamour which I deceased from being the public face of the club and I was taking a back seat. So, when I realised that, I wasnt going to see out my contract. I had already made up my mind.”
“Then, management led by Martin Ssekajja pulled the plug. We agreed, he saw it that we could do it earlier and I accepted that.”
He added: “I couldn’t accept the interference. It was coming from the powers that be. When I was with former Chairman Julius Kabugo and Aggrey Ashaba, we used to work together and could also exchange ideas.
“The new chairman (Ssekajja) had new ideas which I believe would have been good to continue building on what was already in place.
“They interfered in technical issues. When I was given this job, I had a task of constructing a coaching team, but it had to be paid by the club, I also had the idea of nurturing young players and they were they ones we thought would take the club forward, meaning that as we go forward, we had to recruit from within. We could have some disagreement. I could select the people I want, we take it the board and discuss, we reach a compromise. Selecting them was on me, who to play and who to develop. The most important thing is that I groomed players who won trophies at the club against exceptions.”
Mutebi, touted as one of the best local coaches, won three League titles, Two Uganda Cups, Four Super Cups and One CECAFA Clubs Cup during his five year tenure as Kasasiro Boys coach.
“When I entered into football, I had my personal objectives to achieve, one of them was try to transform coaching in this country, which I did. Try to do things right technically, try to urge clubs to give the technical department the authority to do what they are supposed to do which I have done and of course you can see now that I have won in all activities that the club has engaged in,” he added.
“Personally, I believe that I have achieved but still there are other champions to win like the Champions League.”
On what aspects he subscribed to so as to be successful, he explained: “Rectify the anarchy, it wasn’t only at KCCA, it was all over the place. KCCA had to get somebody who could put their foot down and do things right. So, that’s what I did.”
“The third time I joined the club under the stewardship of Julius Kabugo and the Executive Director Jennifer Musisi, we had objectives, remember the authority was going to stripe up this club, but with the renovation of Peter Kibazo and Julius Kabugo, they managed to convince the then Executive Director Jenifer Musisi how the club could give jobs to the youths and also to spread the objectives of the authority. So they had to buy in somebody who could do that, and it was me.”
“Coaching was talent, before I even started serious coaching it was a passion and talent which I had to enhance. I had to do things right, I had to copy from others especially from abroad, I belong to the school of Johan Cruyff, everybody knows what he did to World Football, so I tried to import what he was doing in here. I found a lot of resistance, people always saying “ffe tulina ekyaffe.”
“I said that I can educate these young kids these things and indeed I have done that. For me, the most important thing is that I have earned respect from football circles.”
By the time of his departure, KCCA were in 4th place on the Uganda Premier League table having registered four losses. “The players were responding well, it was a matter of organic growth.”
Midway through the first round, the gaffer had a shoving with Badru Kaddu, a member of his coaching staff.
Mutebi, when asked to comment on the matter, he said: “That is part of it, we call it management conflict. When you have sharp people around you, they will always challenge you about the decisions made but that doesn’t mean our relationship was bad.”
He was criticised for playing players out of positions.
“I look at a player and give them the knowledge and make them fit in what we play.”
On criticising players in press conference, he stated that he was just “true” with them, adding that players shouldn’t be pampered when doing things wrongly. He stated: “We call it tough love, I tell it to you direct in the face that this is what you are supposed to do, so if you are willing we work to improve on this weakness and try to perfect what we do. Unless you tell that to the players, you must teach these players what to do.”
He named Allan Okello and Jackson Mayanja as the best players he has ever worked with.
On his best moments at the club, he revealed: “Losing 4-3 against Esperance, and also beating Al Ahly 2-0 and also losing 4-3 against the best team on the Continent that went on to win the title of CAF Champions League. We scored goals and we were playing attacking football.”
The coach, sacked on the day Uganda Cranes lost 1-0 to Malawi in AFCON Qualifiers, is rumoured to be eyeing the Cranes or Vipers job.
“No, the national team has a coach, there is no vacant there. There has been no approach so far. But let’s wait and see.
“Vipers has a coach in Kajoba, and I have not been approached before as well.
“Its high time for local coaches to be given a chance. There is nothing different from the ones they import from abroad. Given a chance, we can do it. Sam Ssimbwa can do it, Mayanja can do it. Basena. All these experienced coaches.
“My next step, let’s wait and see.”
