In Uganda, a soccer tournament shows a kingdom’s power
The fans of the two teams arrived at the stadium hours before kickoff, crowding its grassy banks and perching in trees behind the corner flags. The final of the Masaza Cup is one of the biggest soccer matches in Uganda and they had come in their thousands to celebrate the occasion.
Supporters beat traditional drums and blew plastic vuvuzelas (horns). Hawkers sold merchandise branded with the names of local clans. One group of friends arrived in bark cloth, a material used in burials, because, they said, “we are going to put [our opponent] in bark cloth after defeating him”.
Like soccer tournaments all over the world, the Masaza Cup is tracked by talent scouts and backed by corporate
