Although SC Villa president Hajji Omar Ahmed Mandela rarely speaks in public, today he has done so and calls on SC Villa fans to work together with him to lay the foundation for 100 years for the club in good shape.
Mandela was delivering his speech at the SC Villa AGM held on March 1 at East High in Kulambiro and said, “I believe in building and I am not a speaker. I know one thing: to work. But as SC Villa fans, we should be working together. Everyone who supports SC Villa has to join the cause so that we can give it the right foundation to keep it strong for over 100 years.”
“These days many people say they love football, but they are selfish. I tell you, those are not the ones who can develop football. I am not looking for money in football, but I am trying to leave Villa’s legacy going because I know exactly no one here has 100 years of life ahead of us but must leave this club for generations.”
Mandela, who was one of the factions that left Express FC in 1974 to found SC Villa in 1975, worked for it until 2004 when he retired but came back in 2021, although he did not want to but when asked by SC Villa fans he agreed to return.
During his absence, SC Villa failed to record reasonable success. The Uganda top flight record champion Mandela left it in 2004 with 16 trophies and returned to help the club win its 17th in 2023-2024.
During his outgoing term, he also helped the club settle its balance sheet. According to a report presented by SC Villa fans, Chairman of the Trustees Gerald Ssendawula told the fans that they are handing over Mandela as the team was in debt, but now it stands at 420 on accounts without elaborating.
“I tell Villa fans that SC Villa is no longer in debt. Since we came to power, Hajji Mandela led us, and we got Linglong as a sponsor, and he is giving us 540 million, as well as those collected from one team’s taxes and gate collections.”
Hajji Mandela said he found SC Villa owed 550 million in salaries and accommodation for SC Villa staff, and it was his first job at the start of his last term.
