What Uganda failed to get from the field of play, it now hopes to get from tourism. Uganda’s senior soccer team will not be in Russia for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. But the East Africa nation is among the lucky places across six continents where the highly coveted trophy will pass on its way to Russia. FIFA’s commercial partner, Coca-Cola, is sponsoring the 51-country World Cup trophy tour.
Coca-Cola has already announced that Uganda will host the trophy between March 5 and 6. “Being a member country of Coca-Cola, we were able to meet the criteria to host this trophy,” the company’s Senior Brand Manager Miriam Limo said. Uganda waded through tough competition to emerge as one of the 10 African countries that will host the fine gold masterpiece of art across 12 cities.
Uganda had hosted the trophy on November 15, 2009, preparatory to the Mundial in South Africa in 2010, when President Museveni received it. The tight-sitting Museveni will still be around to receive the trophy on March 5 before the public gets a chance to take pictures with it at Lugogo Cricket Oval the following day. All one requires to be able to do that is just a bottle of Coca-Cola.
The Public Affairs and Communications Director for Coca-Cola in Uganda, Simon Kaheru, summed up the nation’s mood, “We are very happy and proud to get Uganda to feature in an event such as this. This trophy is an international guest and will be accorded a high level of security”.
The General Secretary of the National Council of Sports, Nicholas Muramagi, representing the government, highlighted the impact of the event on tourism. “For us as government, it’s a big mileage. Coca-Cola is in this project not by gambling around as they have nurtured talents through the COPA Coca-Cola to the Ugandan football team, the Cranes,” he said. “There are people who may not know our President but they are interested in the Trophy Tour. The traffic Uganda will generate is in millions of dollars and as well, it will stimulate the interest ahead of the glamour in Russia in June.”
That remains to be seen. Further, the NCS General Secretary announced that 12 selected Ugandans will travel to Cape Town, South Africa, in order to return with the trophy to Kampala.
