Immanuel Ben Misagga
We are in the middle of grueling political season as the country prepares for the January, 2026 general elections.
As the more than 10,000 political aspirants for the presidential, parliamentary and local government continue slots continue to reach out to the masses for votes, I have noted the intriguing omission in this campaign season; the lack of pragmatic strategies for the youth, especially those associated with sports. Youth and sports go hand-in-hand in many ways that it is hard to ignore one at the expense of the other.
Candidates may preach job creation and skilling but youths and sports, especially football, are inseparable.
Several politicians have complained about the youth’s dedication to European football at the expense of local developmental issues but nothing can change that tide.
Even in the western world where youth are most productive, they are also the biggest sports stakeholders.
So, you cannot simply convince the youth to discard football as a mindset change initiative, you only need to complement their enthusiasm with practical solutions.
In football terms where I am most proficient, the youths – players and fans – are the biggest drivers of football development.
Lest we forget, in a Uganda where more than 73 percent of population are youth under the age of 30, they also provide the biggest voting bloc.
Interestingly, more than 80 per cent of them are ardent supporters of European football teams, even national teams. They are ardent in a way that they not only follow those teams but also buy merchandise, regardless most of it is fake.
One salient issue to address is the recently enacted Sports Act, whose architect was Fufa President Moses Magogo and true to his word campaigned promising to bring a sports bill thou he used a black horse to craft it
To his credit, the act was long overdue for reforms and I give him a quarter -thumb. However, most of the amendments were driven his personal desire, not for the sports sector.
The act includes.
It needs urgent amendment because it has a number ‘satanic verses’ disguised as reforms. Personally, as a football investor, I feel the act is not a pro-football law. I am perturbed that, for instance, the act doesn’t provide for Uganda Premier League (UPL) clubs, which feed the national team, to benefit representing the national team as is the case worldwide. Remember, Fufa received millions of dollars every year to boost the national team.
To his credit, President Museveni has sunk in billions in sports but oftentimes it is his own initiative, not a state-mandated action.
For instance, during my tenure as SC Villa boss, the President donated to Villa SC two buses, air tickets to continental matches worthy 400M. But it was in his own capacity, not government.
So, this goes out to all those campaigning for political seats that you should have a plan to uplift the youth through sports. Sports is in their blood and you cannot take it away.
Let’s be real; sad as it may sound, a clash between Arsenal and Manchester United dominates youth debate than the national budget priorities.
This goes out to the politicians that they need to show how they are going to improve sports through talent-spotting, creation of sports facilities and amplifying youth involvement in sports. The youth may want financial empowerment and skilling but they will never abandon sport. It is that natural.
Every MP should have a sports plan for the youth, especially for football, boxing and athletics.
You can’t have a voting bloc of 73 percent yet you don’t have a sports plan for them. For years, Ugandan youths have always stood out in sports, even in the face of adversity.
So, seeing that that there is little focus on the youth makes me a little apprehensive about our priorities as a nation.
The question is; what would attract a promising Ugandan talent to look at sports as a career breakthrough when politicians are not putting sports as a priority?
In fact, parliament should pass a law that allows for incentives on sports investments because at the end of the day, the target are the youths.
For reference, just a few days ago, Curacao, a former Dutch colony of about 150,000 people, qualified for the 2026 Fifa World Cup. What a fairytale!
The foundation behind it is Gilmar Pisas, the prime minister, who won over the public on wooing Dutch footballers with Curacao ancestry to represent them. It was a magic bullet. In the end, they succeeded in even getting the legendary Dutch coach Dick Advocaat.
The Curacao Football Association is set to get at least $5m merely for qualification and their feat will be talked about for generations to come. When you add the tourism potential, the figure may even multiply 10 times in the years to come.
So, Uganda politicians have so much to learn to put the youths at the centre of their plans and you wonder how a politician uses a football as his/her sign but doesn’t know anything or push for the game.
