Can BUL, Kitara walk the walk to league stardom? 

There is a breath of fresh air in the Uganda Premier League following the recent emergence of BUL FC, Kitara FC and even Maroons as real contenders for the Uganda Premier League (UPL) title.

In fact, BUL’s six-point gap at the top is the biggest in recent times, and going by their giant-killing spree, they must be title favourites. It was almost unimaginable [at least by press time] that the top three of the UPL at almost the half-way stage do not include any of Vipers, SC Villa, Express or even KCCA.

I have watched a few games and my simple take is that BUL, Kitara and Maroons are not necessarily playing splendid football; they are simply organized. On the flipside, the giant clubs are on a self-destruction spree of epic proportions.

At Vipers and KCCA, it is the clubs’ executives that don’t have faith in the technical bench yet the malaise starts with the players. Meanwhile, at SC Villa and Express, both teams are just not yet good enough to challenge for the title.

The question is; can BUL, Kitara and Maroons keep the pace at the top? My guess is that they may not sustain the top form and their thin squads may melt under pressure when the going gets tough. But in what has always been a dull league, it is a breath of fresh air to have a new set of title contenders.

Honestly, football purists will agree with me that it would be a huge relief to have an ‘outsider’ win the league because that would be a wake-up call for the giants. In the broader perspective, the current situation in the UPL should provide all stakeholders an opportunity to market it as competitive and raise the stakes amongst fans.

The same way Ugandans that follow the English Premier League keep pushing the Elephant-on-Tree narrative, now would be a perfect opportunity to push the BUL surge to the top.

Unfortunately, the powers that be at Fufa and UPL board are simply watching on in the hope that the hype will create itself. Had both entities had serious marketing teams, games involving the top six teams would be sell-outs and Ugandan football would be the winner.

The author is SC Villa President Emeritus