One of the greatest Ugandan footballers of all time, Issa Sekatawa, the first football celebrity who appeared in TV ads now cleans washrooms at National Mosque, Old Kampala.
Issa Sekatawa outscored Ian Rush on trials at Liverpool FC in 1986 but was reportedly sabotaged by selfish local football authorities who ‘asked him to stay and help Express FC and Uganda Cranes’
Ian Rush is Liverpool's greatest goal scorer of all time with 346 goals in 7 years at the club.
Sekatawa is rated as Uganda’s cream of the 1980s. Dubbed as the ‘golden boy’ Sekatawa was a celebrity figure, the first footballer in a television advert and most importantly, a goal machine.
Hailed as a natural predator with rare goal instincts, Sekatawa was the biggest nightmare of goalkeepers and defenders, sending the opponents into panic once he pounced on the ball. Like a deadly predator, he weaved through the defense lines and effortlessly skinned his opponents with meritorious skill of a surgeon.
In a status shared by Uganda Muslim Supreme Council Facebook page, Sekatawa now cleans the washrooms at Old Kampala Mosque.
“Former Ugandan Crane Soccer golden boy who was also known as Soccer tabu Isa Sekatawa who ruled Ugandan Soccer as hot goal sticker during 1980s up to 1990s, now volunteers as a cleaner in the wash rooms of the National Mosque, Old Kampala”, the status reads.
According to Islam, taking care of the mosque is a praiseworthy act for which one will be rewarded
The following Hadith says God blesses those who take care of the worship places; ‘’The Messenger of God, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him, said: “I was offered the wages of my nation, even the dirtiest dust’.
“The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, commanded the building of mosques in the houses, and look after”.
However, it is also common knowledge that several former stars are now in the trenches, struggling to survive.
A brief summary into Isa Sekatawa’s career
He started playing football as a young boy forcing his parents to take him to Army children’s school, Mbarara with the hope that he would give up the addiction. However, this opened for him new doors after Ntare School offered him a bursary. He would later catch the eye of Mbarara FC would offer him a deal but due to political instability, he later signed with Nytil in 1980.
It’s from Nytil that he became a hot property in the league. Giants’ Express FC swiftly approached him and convinced Nytil to release the star. He went on to score 22 goals for Express FC. In 1982, he was the first footballer to appear in a TV Commercial, advertising Bata shoes.
It is said that the management at Express FC ‘ate the proceeds’ from the campaign. The Bata sneakers sold out and the star reportedly became ‘stressed out’. He was then gifted a holiday trip to the UK.
Also, it is alleged that the club connived with FUFA to block him from being signed by several foreign clubs by denying him the ITC license.
Sekatawa marveled the Cranes when he led Uganda in the 4-1 victory against Algeria.
He was a trendsetter and his ‘perm’ hairstyle became a hot item in town. Injuries and selfish desires by his employers destroyed his career.
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