Reigning African Rally Champion Yasin Nasser isn’t holding back. Despite breaking a 26-year “jinx” to become the first Ugandan since Charles Muhangi (RIP) to win the ARC title, Nasser says the Federation of Motorsports Clubs of Uganda (FMU) has given him the cold shoulder.
During a long-overdue FMU awards ceremony on Saturday, Nasser expressed his disappointment: “At the FIA awards, we were the pride of Africa. The Ugandan anthem played, and the world watched. We expected a hero’s welcome, but instead, we got silence.”
The tension peaked when Nasser pointed out that FMU President Jimmy Akena recently secured a meeting with the Speaker of Parliament for a motocross team that finished 3rd, while the continental champions were left out.
While Akena claims he is waiting for “official clearance” from the Speaker’s office, rally legend Moses Lumala says this is an old story. “Drivers put in so much and get so little back. It’s the reason I walked away from the sport,” Lumala added.
Nasser’s championship-winning Ford Fiesta cost about a billion UGX—a massive personal investment that he feels the federation is failing to respect.
