Basketball in Africa

Dorothy Kyamazima looks at the demands of the new federation. http://www.observer.ug

Upon re-election as Fuba president last Saturday, Ambrose Tashobya, silenced rumours he was unwilling to serve the federation. He says the federation can no longer be run on a voluntary basis, which most officials are doing. However, being president of the federation does not necessarily mean all is well.

He says the federation is facing major challenges this time round. For one, it remains to be seen whether they will raise the Shs 290 million shillings budget for this year because it’s clear Fuba lacks the means to obtain this amount of money. It has so far received $1,500 and are eyeing Shs 86 million from league sponsors MTN before the end of this month.
Hopes for raising more money also rest partly on the gate collections, which would be enough to raise Shs 100 million at the end of the season, leaving another Shs 100 million to be sought from other sponsorships. Despite the former accusations that the federation has been suffering a lot of incompetence when it comes to the management of finances, Tashobya disputes these allegations.

He says all the money was properly accounted for unlike last term, when former treasurer Chris Kyebambe failed to properly account for Shs 244 million. “It’s for that reason that Fuba came up with a new constitution, where decisions can easily be made and whoever is at fault is easily and quickly dealt with,” he says.
When it comes to the issue of Fuba lacking a venue, Fuba is riding on the completion of the Lugogo indoor stadium. “As soon as they finish, we are ready to talk to MTN and make sure it becomes the venue for most of the games, especially the big games and playoffs,” adds Tashobya.

For now, however, Fuba is under pressure from players over the poor state of YMCA court, which hosts virtually all league matches now. Several teams have complained about the slippery oil paint laid on the ground but not much can be done to solve this problem since the court does not belong to the federation.
“The best we can hope for is to cover up the oil paint with a less slippery paint that will not leave the surface in the same state as it is in now,” he says.

The president still has hopes to professionalise the league by organising friendly matches for the national team. A tournament between the three countries; Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania is yet to be fixed under the names Victoria Cup.

With regard to the small manpower of referees, Fuba plans to conduct a few clinics to train and polish new referees in the hope of increasing their number by the end of this year. This, along with a referee committee meant to address problems with various referees.