SC Villa officials are angry that once again The New Vision has chosen to roll the club in mud by concocting an ugly story about the team's recent trip to Malawi. In the Saturday gossip column, HAVE YOU HEARD, the paper claimed a top Villa official had indulged in sexual escapades with ladies of the night in Blantyre.

There were no such cases - and the club President Francisco Mugabe, who led the team, has confirmed to Villa Online that there were no cases of indiscipline involving players or officials in Malawi. As a matter of fact, the team did not even stay at the hotel The New Vision claims the sex scandals took place.

We have asked our lawyers to consider fresh legal action against The New Vision. At the same time we have written to the paper to make a retraction and an apology, in which case there would be no need to proceed with legal action. Below is the content of our letter to The New Vision, which we hope they will have the courage to publish:

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March 13, 2004

The Letters Editor,
The New Vision
Kampala

No Sex Scandal for SC Villa in Malawi

Please refer your so-called 'ADVISORY' under the Have You Heard column of The New Vision on Saturday, March 13, 2003. You claim that one of the top SC Villa officials who travelled with the team to Blantyre in Malawi and stayed at the Le Meridien Mount Soche Hotel had a field day off the pitch with the ladies of the night.

We are extremely disappointed with such kind of sloppy and malicious journalism, especially the libelous and inaccurate allegations against our officials. The allegation is just a concoction and lies. Even the Gossip columns must be based on facts - especially when so much damage could be caused to innocent people.

For your information, when SC Villa travelled to Blantyre to play Bakili Bullets in the Africa Champions League, the Ugandan team was booked and stayed at the very decent Superior Hotel (well outside town). The players stayed here with coaches Moses Basena and Sredejovic Milutin Micho; organising secretary Ogen Kevin Aliro and journalist Mutyaba from Radio Two.

The other SC Villa officials who arrived in Malawi two days later (Andrew 'Zzimwe' Kasagga and Ambassador Adonia Ayebare stayed at the high class Ryall's Hotel in the centre of Blantyre. Ryall's is a top hotel where not a single lady of the night would be allowed anywhere near the fence.

The club president Francisco Mugabe on the other hand stayed at his private residence in Blantyre. This is basic information that could easily be verified by speaking to Villa officials and players, the journalist from Radio Two, the hotels in Blantyre, or indeed Bakili officials who are arriving in Uganda this week.

In short, there is no SC Villa player or official who ever stepped anywhere near the Le Meridien Mount Soche Hotel. So none of them could have had a field day with the ladies of the night there. Neither did any scandal like that happen at the Superior or Ryall's hotels where the players and officials, respectively, stayed.

Note that all the SC Villa officials who travelled with the team are very decent gentlemen, and family people, who would not have gone around with sex workers, especially in the presence of their players.

In any case, the culture and superstition in SC Villa circles is that no one - especially the players, coaches and officials - may touch a woman or engage in sex ahead of a match. And this taboo includes sex with even our wives and husbands!

As SC Villa officials we, individually and severally, demand an immediate retraction and apology from The New Vision. If no such apology and retraction is made, we shall have no option but to seek justice from the courts of law at a very heavy cost to your newspaper.

Ogen Kevin Aliro
ORGANISING SECRETARY
SC VILLA
P.O. Box 30750
KAMPALA
www.sc-villa.com