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Ankara is also concerned about potential sanctions if they are found to have been part of shady transfer business. So they hastily decide to walk away from the deal.
As the serene dawn quickly turns into a manic day break at the Entebbe International Airport, It is business as usual.
On one end, the next plane to leave the runway holds the key to a bright future for a random Ugandan youth.
But at the end of the departure, another kid returns to the Pearl of Africa with perhaps a shattered dream, but with many more questions than answers of how it all went wrong.
Draped in a loose T-shirt, tight skinny jeans and headgear to be as discreet as he can, his peering eyes cannot be missed.
It is hard to ignore his look if you have watched a couple of StarTimes Uganda Premier League games at the Kabaka Kyabaggu Stadium.
His look is deceitful because he even has to make a couple of phone calls to his agent to come to his aid to make his way back home.
Owen Ibrahim Kasule has just touched down back home. But, while his departure was celebrated and made its way onto the NBS Sport lower third amid a maelstrom of online gossip articles, his return is way less glorious.
This is another classic story of the underhand moves in Ugandan transfers. But how did it go wrong for Kasule?
You have to go back to November 2022. Then, former Uganda Cranes captain Ibrahim Ssekagya made a scouting trip to Uganda to identify the next top domestic talent.
By then, Wakiso Giants were captivating and flying at the top of the Uganda Premier League. Kasule and teammate Titus Ssematimba were the catalysts behind that thrilling form.
Word moves fast, and Ssekagya, despite watching URA FC versus Vipers clash at the Nakisunga Grounds in Mukono for his first local game, was made aware of the duo's promising talent.
Initially, Ssekagya had his eyes on Titus Ssematimba. Still, the preamble to the dirty games written all over this whole saga was written, as he was persuaded to instead take an interest in Kasule.
Kasule is an equally good player and was hooked on the two players; however, when he inquired about them more, some people told him that Kasule carried less buggage than Ssematimba.
"He (Ssekagya) came to watch Titus (Ssematimba) initially, but the club asked him to look at Kasule. He liked them both," a source that preferred anonymity told Pulse Sports.
"While he watched the two, another player caught his eye; Frank Ssebuufu. And Ssekagya started acquiring them for the Red Bulls' development program."
The source further intimated that Ssekagya was told that Ssematimba was a player of interest from Uganda Cranes coach Milutin 'Micho' Sredojevic and big wigs at FUFA who would frustrate any move they did not sanction.
Afraid of stepping on the wrong toes and not wanting to have bad business on his hands, Ssekagya then decides to ditch the idea of signing Ssematimba and settle for both Kasule and Ssebuufu.
So, he arranged a formal meeting with the club's top bosses to formalize the process of signing the two players.
To aid the process of visa application and have the players move to the USA, Ssekagya arranged to sign pre-contract agreements between the clubs with both players.
According to sources, Wakiso was to be given USD 20000 for Kasule, and they would benefit from any future sales, besides having a Memorandum of Understanding between the two clubs for their top talents.
Incidentally, the process was affected when Kasule and Ssebuufu were called up to the Uganda Cranes squad for the Africa Nations Championship.
At this moment, the dirty games escalate after Kasule is dropped from the CHAN-bound team, after which he is bound to start travelling to the United States.
But before that, Wakiso and Kasule are introduced to one Ssekagya (not Ibrah) who is plotting a move to Turkey's Ankara Keciörengücü who, despite promising to double Red Bulls' offer, also promises to have at least three of the club's players travel for trials every January.
Wakiso's head is turned. The player's agent, Conrad Roy Mulindwa, is double crossed, as the player is persuaded to instead settle for the Turkish deal in which he is promised an even bigger paycheck.
As Mulindwa plots to foil the deal with the faith of upholding a prior agreement, communication lines are cut as fellows then plot for the player to travel to Busoga to visit his family – which incidentally are all lies as 24 hours later, social media is awash with pictures of Kasule training in Turkey.
Back home, Wakiso Giants is praised for their intelligent operation in handling the transfer and have rightly earned plaudits for nurturing the next top Ugandan superstar. But the truth lies far and beyond.
Ibrah Ssekagya is alarmed and mad at how he has been double crossed on his own. It is at that time that, through further investigations, he learns of the trustworthy agency handling Ssematimba and that it was all prior planned to have him keen on Kasule.
Disappointed and having to answer to his bosses, Ssekagya forwarded the concern to the club's legal department and started claiming damages and several other breaches.
Meanwhile, that alarms the Kasule camp, the player is told to stick to a particular statement that claims he favoured a move to Turkey rather than join New York's development side.
Ankara is also concerned about potential sanctions if they are found to have been part of shady transfer business. So they hastily decide to walk away from the deal.
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