Uganda football star Owori killed, weeks after death of rugby’s Gongodyo

SC Villa captain and Ugandan international David Owori was found unconscious by passers-by, but later pronounced dead.Uganda international ‌David Owori, captain of one of the country’s ⁠biggest football clubs, ⁠has died after an assault in the capital Kampala, police said.The 28-year-old, who was captain of Uganda’s record-breaking champions SC Villa, was ⁠critically injured by unidentified assailants in a suburb of Kampala on Tuesday, police spokesperson Racheal Kawala said.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4FIFA pledges to defend Infantino after World Cup rights plan collapseslist 2 of 4UEFA’s threatened legal action against Infantino and FIFA: What we knowlist 3 of 4Ex-Arsenal boss Wenger was ‘not aware’ of Infantino’s FIFA planlist 4 of 4UEFA confirms legal letter served to FIFA after Infantino’s World Cup planend of listHis death comes only weeks after the killing of Rugby international Sydney Gongodyo in the Ugandan capital.Owori was found unconscious ⁠by passers-by, who took him to a nearby hospital. He was transferred to another hospital where he was later pronounced dead, Kawala said.“David was not just a footballer. He was both a leader ‌and an inspiration to a generation. As Captain of SC Villa, he led with courage, humility and passion. In the Uganda-cranes" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="179652" data-entity-type="organization">Uganda Cranes jersey, he carried the hopes of a nation,” the Uganda-football-associations" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="179651" data-entity-type="organization">Federation of Uganda Football Associations said in a statement.Crime is rampant in the capital of the East ⁠African country and many Ugandans expressed outrage ⁠at his death on X. They also condemned what some said was the inability of the authorities to tackle crime.Owori’s death follows that of Gongodyo’s, who in June died after he was assaulted by a ⁠mob in Kampala after he was apparently ⁠mistaken for a thief, according to police.“Sadly, Ugandan sport has been hit with many such tragedies lately, and we hope for justice and a lasting solution,” ‌the state-run Uganda" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="179653" data-entity-type="organization">National Council of Sports Uganda said.Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa asked authorities to address the wider security challenges in ‌the ‌country, according to a statement on parliament’s website.