David Otti
My VOA colleague Shaka Ssali recently paid tribute to one of his fellow-Ugandans, veteran football player and coach David Otti, who died March 3, 2011, in the capital, Kampala, after a long battle with diabetes. Otti was 71.
During his Straight Talk Africa show, Shaka described Otti as “one of the most decorated persons in Ugandan football history, perhaps best remembered as one of the most successful coaches in Ugandan football.” But Otti’s soccer expertise was not limited to only Uganda. He also coached clubs in Kenya, Somalia, and Rwanda.
David Otti’s career dates back to the 1960’s, when he played for “The Cranes,” Uganda’s national football team, as both a defender and a midfielder.
Otti’s body was laid to rest this week in his ancestral home in Gulu, in northern Uganda. Officials there announced that an annual soccer tournament will be established in honor of David Otti, open to all Ugandan football clubs.