Ex-Players Should Be Skilled To Do Punditry – Journalists To Magogo

Sports Journalists have advised FUFA President Moses Magogo to train the Ex-players if they are to do match analysis on TVs and Radios.

The strong response comes in the wake of recent comments by Magogo claiming that the Ex-players are supposed to do analysis not Sports Journalists!

“Analysis of football matches and sports journalism are 2 different things. Whatever the experience and training can never give the insight of having been on the pitch playing,” Magogo recently claimed in reference to UBC TV failing to employ a former player to analyse the ongoing AFCON in Cameroon.

“In my view, it is Mawejje, Massa, Walusimbi, Wasswa, Serunkuma etc that should analyze AFCON.”

Magogo at AFCON

Nation Media (Daily Monitor, KFM and NTV) Head of Sports Ismail Dhakaba Kigongo says that FUFA should equip these former players with skills to work in the media.

“I would prefer that FUFA, through the Players Association start to equip players with skills to work in the media,” Dhakaba told The-SportsNation when contacted.

“It’s not enough to have played the game if you cannot communicate. There is room for ex-players in the media if they can actually do the job. I do not agree with his blanket decree because we risk an unnecessary fight between media and footballers. This kind of call should help players look beyond coaching as there are many places within the game that they can serve; administration, media, agents, marketing, refereeing and many others.”

John Vianney Nsimbe who writes for The Observer and a UPL Commentator at Sanyuka TV, agrees with the idea made by Magogo but says that most of these ex players haven’t positioned themselves.

Nsimbe stated: “It is the ideal thing. But to my disappointment, many of our former footballers and coaches, haven’t positioned themselves well enough to analyse games.

“For starters, you will find that many of them can’t answer simple football questions with meaningful answers, when carrying out post-match interviews. So, then, how well can they explain game situations before them, as required in broadcast, where accuracy and wit is required in the shortest time possible? I don’t know.

“But very few coaches and players can do it. I guess that is the reason why journalists, who are more expressive are used for such functions. And this is largely because the journalists watch a lot of football and follow it. You will be surprised to learn, that very few of our coaches today and footballers, actually watch football; be it the European leagues or the CAF club competitions and other African football leagues. They don’t even know the players of different national teams. On that premise, they will not be able to analyse what they don’t know.”

Ex player Mike Sulaiman Mutyaba doing analysis on Sanyuka TV

In her recent exchanges with Magogo on Social media, Phiona ‘Fifi Pinky’ Namiiro (UBC and Star), said that even Magogo has not done what he is recommending himself citing that FUFA FM is not an example, calling it hypocrisy.

Fifi, when contacted by The-SportsNation, said that Magogo’s FUFA has even greatly neglected the former players and questioned his intentions and moral authority.

She said: “Magogo in his first term as FUFA president imprisoned an ex player in George Ssimwogerere (former Uganda Cranes captain) claims they interfered with his work.

“The first thing he did was to deny them free entry to games sighting maximization of revenue from gate collections. When Jimmy Kirunda passed away, FUFA were accused of neglecting former footballers and dismissing Kirunda unfairly that led to pressure (disease) and he died. Magogo replied by telling ex internationals that they were not ready for most of the assignments and were poor because of their own doing. How then does he have the moral authority to advocate for them?”

Bagala Peace Diane who works with Bulange’s CBS and BBS Terefayina, commented: “Where is the quest for unity and togetherness? it was so ramifying of a leader. So if top football administration is to be left to ex-players who only played at a top level, will he stay at FUFA?”

In his long submission, Ruben Luyombo formerly at Super FM and Kwese TV, said that it’s not automatic that former players make good analysts just like best players do not make good coaches, so they must be taught first.

“I would partly conqur with him and partly not. Yes, he might be having a point.

It’s good seeing the former players doing analysis but the spirit in which Magogo said it was not good. Take a look at the English game which most of us watch and follow, those former players doing analysis do not just come out of the blue and start analysing the game in the studio. Most do coaching badges as they near the end of their active football careers while others pick the path of media. You are trained to do that.

“Okay, lets look at the ones at Supersport for example, Samuel Kuffour played at the highest level but he cannot analyse a game of football the way people want it. He is like a pub analyst. Look at Benjamin Mwaruwari, he cannot do it.

“Being a former player doesn’t mean that you can articulate and interpret the game as its supposed to be articulated. The likes of Guilleme Balague, Walter Samuel, Henry Winter, and many others are doing great yet they never played football.”

Luyombo said that Magogo should just partner with the Media to train these ex players rather than bashing and crashing the Journalists who are doing it.

He added: “Let’s go back on how Magogo came into Football, I was his host. And he was one of my analysts at CBS. Right now he is the FUFA President.

“Let’s go to Coaching, we have seen the greatest players fail to even coach. Maradona failed to coach a game of football. I will not mention names even back here whose coaching is pathetic compared to people who never played football.

“Is Magogo practicing what he is preaching? He is leading a Federation where most of the staff have not done anything before. I am not saying that Ali Mwebe is not doing good but he is the Director of football yet he has not played football at the highest level. What is he going to direct?

“We have had a head of technical in Mid Juma for the last eight years but he never kicked a ball. Youth Football which is the core of the game in any Country is headed by Bashir Mutyaba who never kicked a ball and has never been in football management before but he was picked and taught and he is now doing great. So, why doesn’t Magogo employ only former players in those posts if he thinks that they are the most suitable?

“I partly agree with him that former players have an advantage over someone who has never played football likewise in coaching where a former player would understand a situation. Say, If am a left footed player and the ball comes on my right, a person who has never been on the pitch would never understand the difficult that player will find. I beg we work in tandem with each other.”


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