A feeling of triumph has been going around the Fufa headquarters in Mengo.
This followed the decision by KCCA FC to withdraw its petition at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), filed against Fufa in March. This came about when, following match-day 15 of the 2024/25 Uganda Premier League (UPL) season, in a game involving Mbarara City FC and KCCA, the latter used an ineligible player, defender, Gavin Kizito.
According to Fufa’s disciplinary committee, KCCA had fielded Kizito, yet he had accumulated three yellow cards and, therefore, was suspended for the Mbarara tie. But the catch in here was that before KCCA had fielded the player deemed ineligible, they had consulted the tournament’s organizing committee, the UPL for verification on the matter.
While the UPL had given KCCA the all-clear to field the player on grounds that he actually had accumulated two, and not three yellow cards, which would deem him suspended, it was later discovered that the UPL did not have its records updated.
After the game, Mbarara is said to have petitioned Fufa, complaining that KCCA had used an ineligible player. On follow-up, it was learnt that referee William Oloya had not recorded one particular yellow card he had shown Kizito, in KCCA’s game against NEC FC earlier on.
So, instead of the UPL records indicating that Kizito had three yellow cards to his name; he had two. In Fufa’s wisdom, they deemed it necessary to punish KCCA by stipulating that they would lose the game by forfeiture.
But after KCCA realized that they had been misled by the UPL into fielding an ineligible player, yet still their appeal was dismissed, they chose to petition CAS against Fufa’s stance.
However, a few days ago, KCCA announced that they had decided to withdraw their petition against Fufa at CAS. It was surprising, especially with consideration of KCCA’s enthusiasm to see through the matter to the end.
KCCA chairman, Andrew Sserunjogi intimated in a press briefing as they prepared the petition, that they would leave no stone unturned for truth to prevail. For many, a CAS ruling, widely expected to go KCCA’s way, would be a turning point for Ugandan football.
Right now, following the withdrawal of the case, it is not clear where the game has been left. Obviously, Fufa is celebrating KCCA’s decision to pull the plug. It would have been embarrassing had CAS ordered them to restore KCCA’s three points.
The conclusion it would have drawn was that Fufa did not know what it was doing, as many of its critics noted of the matter. Yet, it will not be said of Fufa going forward. In fact, some in Fufa noted that KCCA realized they were going nowhere with the case and, therefore, withdrawing it, was in their best interest.
Without a CAS ruling, the afore-mentioned remains speculation. Yet, reliable sources reveal that Fufa never expected KCCA to petition CAS in the first place. In the past, like during the Uganda Cup scandal of 2015 in Kyamate, where KCCA players were banned from playing a replay against SC Villa, after the game aborted, add the incident in Onduparaka in 2022, where KCCA were ordered to replay a game from which the hosts were at fault for it aborting, Fufa expected KCCA to give in as usual.
However, it is said, that once Fufa learnt that KCCA was changing course, and heading to CAS, they did not feel they would win that case. In fact, because of that, it is reported that Fufa delayed to submit its response to CAS on the matter.
Instead, Fufa, through its influence, decided to take the matter to higher offices: the minister of Kampala and the ministry of Education of Sports, so that they apply pressure on the football club. Apparently, the line that Fufa fronted, was that KCCA’s petition to CAS would derail Uganda’s chances of hosting the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
With this line being fronted by Fufa, it is said, the pressure on the KCCA FC administration to withdraw the case did not only come from their mother body, the Kampala Capital City Authority, but also the parliament of Uganda, that determines their budget.
Attempts to get a comment from Fufa were largely futile. Humphrey Mandu, who is the deputy chief executive officer of Fufa, said he was not at liberty to talk about the matter. In light of that, Mujib Kasule, the director of Proline Academy, and football commentator, noted that it was a sad day that KCCA had withdrawn its petition against Fufa.
However, Kasule added that it was never KCCA’s volition that they withdraw the case. But that Fufa has “politicized the game of football so much, to manipulate situations. Kasule added that the game of football was under siege, and that Fufa’s impunity rules today, to do whatever they deem fit.