After close to six years at FUFA as Secretary for the competitions committee, Eng. Moses Magogo is now the FA Vice president in charge of administration. The FIFA certified Football Administration Instructor and a Computer Engineer by profession, spoke to the FA Head of Communications, Rogers Mulindwa about the challenges ahead of his new posting.
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Qtn. Did the appointment as FUFA’s new VP in charge of administration take you by surprise?
Moses. I must confess it was a big surprise for me. I talked to the president even on Wednesday Morning about competitions and there was no indication that you (Rogers) had a Statement to read about the reshuffle. I am not complaining though because the FUFA Constitution gives the person of the President absolute powers to appoint his Executive Committee
Qtn. What do you see as the biggest challenge regarding your new responsibility?
Moses. The Challenge of African Football is not Finance as we all tend to believe. It is the human resource in terms of quality and quantity. My new role puts me on the spot to ensure that systems and institutions over ride individuals in the management of football at all levels. The reason individuals have overtaken systems is because of lack of human resource in quality and quantity
Qtn. What do you look at as the most urgent administrative issue to tackle?
Moses. The operationalisation of all the five bodies of FUFA. Thus the Standing Committees (to be named soon), the Judicial bodies, the secretariat, the FUFA executive Committee and the Assembly and their terms of reference clearly spelt out, their objectives for 2012 should be laid upon which they will be judged at the end of the year. As the FUFA Executive Committee, we shall be required to facilitate these various bodies of FUFA to execute their roles. I have been assured by the President that he intends to spearhead the Executive Committee to continue with the change of personnel in the next few weeks to attempt to place the right people in the right places just as he did with the FUFA Executive Committee
Qtn. Any others?
Moses. My Office will monitor the progress of the objectives of the various bodies and will devise means where progress will be observed to be stalling. The Matter of capacity building of the human resource will be high on the agenda. I will further be involved in formulation of programmes for the various committees, departments and bodies of FUFA
Qtn. Two year in office. What would like to achieve by the end of your term?
Moses. If I asked for the time I need to put FUFA where it should be, probably I would need 10 years in that office but surely no one is gonna give me that time there. My point is that I want to start the engine and any other person may come after me to perfect it. I wish to lay down a long term overhaul of perceptions, working methods, professionalization and objective orientation of the Ugandan football Industry
Qtn. You have been the engine of the Competitions committee. Did you accomplish you target in that office?
Moses. First and foremost, allow me thank everyone who has worked with me in Competitions thus Hajjat Aisha Nalule, Matovu Meddy, Mwebe Ali, Kulubya Edward, the FUFA Executive committee and other staff of the secretariat but most importantly the FUFA President, Col Bells Tushabe, Fred Balenzi, Benard Bainamani, Patrick Sebuliba, Kavuma Kabenge, Lajan and lately Decolas Kiiza. There is nothing I could do without any one of them.
Back to the question, Football competitions as said by Michelle Platin, are the face of a football organization. I have not accomplished my wish of what competitions would be in Uganda but I walk away with my head up. I have been instrumental in many huge changes that the faint hearted thought would never be. Remember I will hold a supervisory role in my new appointment over all departments including Competitions
Qtn. What do you regard your biggest achievement in the competitions department?
Moses. In 2006 when we came in, football competitions had become a mockery, the organizers were accomplices to the match fixing and different rules applied to different clubs. Our biggest achievement was to return sanity to results and stamp the rule of law being equal to all. It did not earn us friends but we did not despair until now. The Professionalisation of the USL, Players Contracts, the FUFA Big League, the regional leagues, the players’ data compilation may stand out but these are just in making. I am however very confident that the people I leave behind will make competitions even better.
Qtn. Any possible failures blamed on yourself?
Moses. There were many times decisions of the committee, even some I was against at committee level were labeled against my person. There are many times the incompetence of Clubs and their officials was transferred to me as a person. Look at the USL today, the operational organization is worse. All the crimes I was accused of are more rampant and worse. Fixture changes, communications hi-cups, poor quality football, clubs’ poverty, the failure by VEK clubs to win the league, unchecked and absolute organizers powers etc. My hope and prayers are that Mujib Kasule arrests the rot before a wonderful concept is “killed” by self-seekers who do not understand anything about professional football
Qtn. Talk about you experience/training acquired so far and how this will help you in your new office.
Moses. I am a FIFA certified Football Administration Instructor meaning that I teach football administration on FIFA deployment at the international level. There is only Justus Mugisha with the same level in Uganda and Sam Mpiima in the making. Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Ethiopia and Malawi are some of the countries without one. I have been assigned responsibility when I delivered a course in Zambia to the elite league club officials; I have been to Namibia and Zurich for the same assignment and development process.
The other day, I got an assignment from FIFA to deliver an Elite Club Administration Course in Botswana from 21st -25th November 2011
Qtn. How it will help in your new posting?
Moses. I teach how to proffesionalise a football club and a football organization (like FUFA) and I am known to be an off-the-chair administrator. The combination of the two is the reason I accepted the posting. Insha Allah, with the help of the entire team at FUFA, there better changes awaiting by my new role
