
Hasfa Nassuna and her mother Annet Nakimbugwe were in touch on the phone a few hours before Kawempe Muslim Secondary and Buikwe She Red Stars clashed in the nation’s premier female competition. In the first round fixture in Buikwe, Nassuna - a senior five student - was fouled to win a penalty for her team helping Kwempe win the match 1-0 in Buikwe.
The second round fixture was played at Kawempe Muslim secondary sports ground and it was the younger member of the family who came out on top scoring both goals in the game. Kawempe raced into an early lead with a well taken penalty into the top right corner by Nassuna. She was on target again with a beautiful chip to hand her team a 2-0 lead before the interval, a score that remained unchanged at full time. The win was enough to allow Kawempe to return top with 18 points in the Victoria Group.
Nassuna was deployed to play at left midfield while her mother was penetrating from centre midfield. Only on rare occasions were Nassuna and her mother seen close to each other during the game.
Even after the match the traditional hand-shake told a bigger story as Nassuna and Nakimbugwe looked in different directions. “I feared being tackled by my mother during the game because she is a good player. She called to wish me the best during the game but we never discussed the match,” said Nassuna.
Indeed, when a photo was requested of both players the shy but skilful Nassuna almost refused, perhaps worried about playful repercussions on the home front. “I have beaten my mother’s team. I don’t want to get close to her now but I will talk to her later,” added Nassuna.
Nakimbugwe, however, was extremely glad for a photo with her daughter despite the loss. “Let’s go back and plan for the games against Kakira and Gafford. My daughter, you now feel happy with the win. We shall meet again in the play offs or final,” said Nakimbugwe.
No doubt the pair, and many others in Uganda, will closely follow the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in Canada, where Africa will be represented by three teams for the first time; Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria.