By Shaban Walakila
Outgoing Vipers SC left-back Dan Birikwalira is not happy with the Kitende based club, saying outgoing players deserve a better send-off from the club.
Birikwalira who joined Vipers in January 2014 from the club’s development side St Mary’s SS Kitende on a three-year deal and after showing tremendous development extended his stay by three more years in 2016.
In 2019, he agreed to another two-year contract at the club, but after seven years at the club, he was laid off alongside other stars including Brian Nkuubi, Tito Okello and Derrick Ochan among others.
He has been part of the club’s most successful era, winning two Uganda Premier League titles, the Stanbic Uganda Cup and the FUFA Super Cup.Since any achievement in football takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice, Birikwalira after being released says that he was frozen out of the club by self-seeking individuals who frustrated his time at Kitende based club Vipers.
“There is nothing I am going to miss about Vipers for sure, I cannot tell you this or that reason but I will not miss Vipers,” a furious Birikwalira told SportsNation.com.
“The decision to leave is not hard to take only that it wasn’t sporting or poor performance no, we play football and we know it.”
“We don’t leave Vipers because of football issues no, I won’t lie, I don’t want my fans to say that my performance wasn’t good no. I left because of other issues from the greedy staff,” he ranted.
“The big problem is that there are dishonest people (Ba kyigwanyizi) who pretend to be loyal to the club. Everyone is chasing their own agenda at the club.”
“I have done so many good things for Vipers ever since I was at school, winning trophies but the way we leave is always harsh.”
Birikwalira is not the only victim as other players at Vipers like former Captain Robert Kimuli, Joseph Mpande, Murushid Jjuuko, Deus Bukenya and many others have also gone through the same situation while parting ways with the club.
The defender sighted the example of former Vipers captain and forward Sulaiman Mutyaba, who despite the years he spent at Vipers/Bunamwaya, he applauded KCCA FC as the most organised club he has ever played for locally after announcing his retirement.
“The irony is that the players who have done good things for Vipers are the ones who are always released with bad motives. We don’t admire to come back as it is elsewhere with former players at a club, that’s the truth.”
“Just look at Sulaiman Mutyaba, he was at KCCA for just two years but he said he has never seen an organized club like KCCA. Yet he had spent many years at Vipers/Bunamwaya,” Birikwalira said.
Now that he is a free agent, the former has promised his fans to stay alert as he is soon going to be unveiled by his new club which he was coy on revealing, stating that fans should expect a new him.
