From the the penalty box to the throne: London non-league goalkeeper set to become Ugandan king
A non-league goalkeeper could be set to become a Ugandan king in a remarkable turn of events in Africa.
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George Desmond Kamurasi, the captain of London’s SE Dons based in Crayford, has been selected by the Tooro royal succession committee to succeed his cousin, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
Kamurasi, 36, has been chosen as the next omukama, or king, of the Tooro people after the unexpected death of his cousin in the United States aged just 34.
Oyo had been king since 1995, when he ascended aged three.
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The royal succession committee selected Kamurasi as his successor on Friday, with 15 of the 18 members present voting for him, according to Ugandan media reports.
He is expected to be formally proclaimed this weekend - but is understood to be reluctant to give up the goalkeeping gloves for the throne.
He has yet to comment on his possible elevation - with local reports suggesting he would be reluctant to leave London.
In Tooro culture, to refuse the throne would be considered an abomination.
The Tooro kingdom is in western Uganda and is one of the country’s four traditional kingdoms.
The four monarchies in Uganda survived British colonialism but were abolished upon the declaration of independence in 1967.
The kingdoms were re-established in 1993, but as cultural institutions without political power.