Less than a decade ago, football was West Nile and West Nile was football. There was no taking a matchday lightly in the region, be it Onduparaka FC or Arua Hill SC for a StarTimes Uganda Premier League game, or either Paidha Black Angels, (Midigo) Calvary FC, Adjumani Town Council, or Nebbi Central playing in the FUFA Big League.
West Nile was like a thick jungle for traveling visitors, where points were not an easy hunt. We can't say the same today, and neither can West Nile Province Captain and South Sudan National Team footballer, Gadafi Wahab.
"What's happening to my region West Nile in terms of football," the evidently frustrated star asks in a Facebook post.
Earlier, Onduparaka FC, who had not honored their Uganda Cup Round of 64 fixture for years finally traveled to Kabale with only 11 players and no substitutes to a game they won 3-1 against Kabale City FC. This was a likely pattern that happened to Arua Hill SC as they faced financial challenges before eventually being sold off to new owners and relocating to Gulu City.
Gadafi laments Arua Hill FC being gone, Calvary FC struggling at the bottom of the table, Paidha Black Angels SC, Nebbi Central FC, and his former side Onduparaka FC also struggling. Adjumani Town Council, which had a stint in the FUFA Big League, has never been the same and is now struggling in the fourth division.
"With all these teams West Nile Region used to be the talk of the town when it comes to football in the country."
Onduparaka FC once had multi-million partnership deals with telecommunications giant MTN, other huge sponsorship deal in the tune of about a billion or more with Betway, and later Ababet. Arua Hill signed a half-billion 'minority' sponsorship deal with paint maker Plascon. Here we are talking about the region that once attracted billions of shillings in investment per football season now left with clubs struggling to even transport a full matchday squad.
"Why has the region that produced the likes of Alionzi Nafian Ajaib, Caesar Okhuti, Muhammad Shaban Jagason, Toha Rashid, Gadafi Wahab, Anaku Sadat, etc turned its back on supporting the beautiful game. It hurts to see a team like Onduparaka Football Club travel with only 11 players from Arua to Kabale just because of financial issues yet we can come together as a community and support this team. A team that almost every Westniler identified him/her self with is now abandoned like it doesn't matter anymore yet this team was once our pride." Gadafi writes.
With this growing trend, it doesn't take a prophet to say the worst is yet to come if no proper steps are taken to ensure the beautiful game takes back its place.
Gadafi calls on leaders, especially the politicians, to rally and support the youth, just as the latter did during the just-concluded election period.
"To our leaders let's show up and support the youths just like they supported you during your campaigns. It's time to give back tothe community through sports." Wahab suggests.
Gadafi, who once captained an eight-man struggling Arua Hill SC side as they lost 6-1 to Kitara FC in the StarTimes Uganda Premier League with him scoring the only goal, celebrates the traveling team of eleven, calling them champions.
"To the 11 players who travelled for the Stanbic Uganda Cup Round of 64, thank you for respecting the game and to go ahead to win, you boys are champions." Wahab praises.
"To every Westnile player who dreams of playing football at the highest level, football is sacrifice and hard work. No one has made it at the highest level without sacrificing, sometimes you go for training without eating anything but you have to train because you have a dream to achieve so if you think you want to be like Jagason or Toha Rashid without going through this challenges, please try something else," he reminds young talents who think a career in football is just smooth sailing.
