The Airtel Rising Stars initiative is the biggest Under-17 grassroots tournament on the African continent which aims at identifying talent and nurturing upcoming footballers. This is one of the few football equal opportunity initiatives that targets boys and girls. Over the years, the Airtel Rising Stars initiative has yielded many success stories and has enabled several upcoming soccer talents to join Africa Premier League clubs and their countries’ national teams.
Airtel, currently the largest supporter of youth football on the continent, has partnered with the Federation of Uganda Football Associations to ensure that football regulations are followed. We caught up with ARS’ proudest story and current captain of the Uganda CECAFA team Farouk Miya, and this is what he had to say.
Qn. Tell us about yourself.
Ans. I am 19 years old, born on 26th November 1995. I am currently studying at Kyambogo University and currently play for Vipers Football club. I am also part of the U-23 national team (Uganda Kobs).
Qn. Tell us a bit about your background.
Ans. Okay, I come from very humble beginnings. I did my O-Level at Bulo parent’s school and I later joined St. Mary’s kitende for my A-level. During my time in Kitende, I participated in many different sports and several school tournaments. It was this participation that caught the eye of our school coach, Edward Golola, who decided to try me out in Vipers FC while I was still at school.
Qn. Miya, you participated in the Airtel Rising Stars program, how has the exposure from this program contributed to your current success?
Ans. I first featured in the Airtel Rising Stars tournament in 2012. That was season 2 and again the following year during season 3. I was playing for Buganda region and in particular Kitende SSS in the midfield position. I think during those two seasons I didn’t stand out as a skilled player, but I know I stood out as one of the most disciplined players for the two seasons.
Qn. How old were you then?
Ans. At the time I was 17 years old.
Qn. So when did you make your national team debut, and how has it been so far?
I made my debut for the Uganda Cranes national team in the Namutiima campaign in 2014 during the Mbarara regional tour games.
So far, it has been an honor to play for the national team. I am playing besides many talented players, many of them older than me, which means there is so much to learn. I thank God for this opportunity.
Qn. You have achieved a lot in your career so far. Tell us about some of these achievements.
Ans. First of all I thank God for having made these achievements possible. After the Airtel Rising Stars program, I joined my first Football club Vipers SC in 2013 and on July, 2014 I scored my debut goal against Seychelles in a friendly match. That to me was a great achievement.
In 2013, I was among the select few that were chosen to play in Gothia Cup in Sweden under Kampala Junior Team under 23. I was picked as Top scorer in that tournament and was awarded the Golden boot.
Also, as the captain of Vipers SC, we won the Azam FUFA super league in 2014. That same year, I won the Most Valuable player accolade.
BBC named me among the ‘best eleven’ squad that stood out of the rest in the recently concluded second round of the 2018 Russia World Cup qualifiers.
Another achievement is being announced the captain of the U-23 National team and the CECAFA National Team 2015.
I think my biggest achievement I think has been playing in the World Cup qualifiers for Uganda, my biggest tournament, so far, where I scored the last 2 winning goals of the total 3.
Qn. How many games have you played for the national team and how many goals have you scored so far?
Ans. So far, I have played 20 games for the National Team and have scored 9 goals. My most recent have been 4 goals which I scored in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, 2 being against Togo and the other 2 against Zanzibar in the CECAFA challenge cup.
In 2014, I played 9 games and scored 2 goals, my debut goal being in a friendly against Seychelles in July 2014. In 2015 I played 11 games and scored 7 goals.
Qn. Are there any big tournaments that you are looking forward to participating in?
Ans. Yes. I am looking forward to participating in the CAF Champions League next year, as part of my club Vipers SC who were the winners of the 2014-2015 Azam FUFA Super League. I am also looking forward to the CHAN tournament with the National Team slated to take place In January 2016 in Rwanda.
Qn. What drives you Miya? Who inspires you?
Ans. First of all I am inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo, the Real Madrid Forward and captain of Portugal national team as well as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who plays for German club Borussia Dortmund and the Gabon national football team.
I am driven by hard work, persistence and team work. Many players also forget discipline – it doesn’t matter what sport one plays, they need to be disciplined.
Qn. Do you have any last words?
Ans. First of all, I would like to thank God for the blessings he bestowed upon me that have enabled me to be where I am today. I want to thank Airtel Uganda for exposing me to the national team scouts and coaches during my time in the Airtel Rising Stars program. It is because of this exposure that I got an opportunity to play for my current club Vipers SC.
I also want to thank the National team coach Micho and my fellow players for supporting me and assisting me to grow my football skills and career.
I want to conclude by advising whoever is reading this to always believe in themselves, in whatever they are doing, and always be disciplined. Your time is now.
