Uganda: League Rules Are Invalid, Say FUFA

Andrew Mwanguhya

21 June 2011

Kampala — Fufa have said rules being used by the Uganda Super League (USL) management to determine promotion and relegation of teams have never been approved by them.

The local soccer body, the overall governors of the game, insist on three teams being promoted.

Article B.29 of the Super League rules states that the bottom two clubs in the table shall be relegated while the third from bottom will engage in a play-off with another as determined from the Big League.

The winner then joins the other two promoted to complete the 14-team league. However, that would mean Maroons, who finished third-bottom in the just concluded season, would be subjected to a play-off. But as it stands, the play-off will instead be between Bidco and the winner between Iganga and Boroboro, whose status is still being reviewed by Fufa after their second leg game was abandoned.

Text on paper

The USL rules went operational about two months into last season after they were dispatched to clubs and Fufa. Efforts to get Fufa CEO Edgar Watson, who received the rules, on whether they approved them were futile as his phone was switched off by press time.

League manager Paul Kabaikaramu maintained Fufa approved them but could not commit to providing written evidence. To Fufa competitions committee chairperson Moses Magogo, USL rules are just “text on paper.” “Fufa has never approved those rules,” he said, “They were submitted when the season was already underway and had many errors.”

The Jinja Declaration endorsed by all local soccer stakeholders and Fifa called for the league, formerly of 16 teams, to be trimmed to 14 by 2014. But in a classic blessing in disguise, CRO and Boroboro dropped out, leaving the recommended 14.

In USL board chairperson Kavuma Kabenge’s letter to Fufa on June 16, he said they considered regulations and requirements of “our partners SuperSport and thereby resolved to maintain a league of 14 clubs.” SuperSport signed a Shs12b broadcast deal with USL for the next five years. But SuperSport’s head of Africa Gary Rathbone told Daily Monitor yesterday they were not imposing any regulations.

Quality not quantity

“We would prefer a league of 12 or 14 teams as it is easier to manage (broadcast),” said Rathbone, “And we would prefer quality rather than quantity.” On setting regulations for USL on the number of teams he said: “That is not our business.” Article 18 (2) of the Fifa statutes prohibits foreign interference in leagues’ determination of membership of clubs. If both sides compromise and the 15th team is admitted, clubs’ share of Shs50m from SuperSport could be reduced to cater for the extra one.

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