KAMPALA, Uganda – The long-standing impasse between the football body FUFA and the National Council of Sports(NCS) may be over for now, but the battle lines are drawn for a new war.
The NCS had sought to ensure a formal football association is registered rather than the business firm – FUFA Ltd. However, as of last week, FUFA had registered with NCS, following FIFA’s intervention. But the association that registered with NCS features different personalities from the ones who have been running FUFA Ltd.
Dan Walusimbi did his homework securing signatures from district associations to form a national organization to register with NCS, with himself as president. As fate would have it, FUFA President Moses Magogo, who had been stalling on the requirement to register with NCS, last week called a meeting, to sit July 28th, 2016, to dissolve FUFA Limited, the business arm of the Federation.
So, unless Magogo surrenders authority to Walusimbi, war is brewing, and this could suck in the various football teams, as well as the national side. For instance, the Cranes are due to play an African Cup of Nations qualifier against Comoros, in Kampala on September 5, 2016. Uganda needs to win this game to qualify.
FUFA is supposed to be preparing for this match. It will be interesting to see how Walusimbi lets Magogo carry on with the preparations. Whatever happens, it will also be interesting to see who gets invited to represent Uganda at the Confederation of African Football headquarters in Cairo, Egypt for a conference, on behalf of Uganda.
It will also be interesting to see who, of the two bodies, will form the National Football League Committee, which is mandated to develop the soccer calendar for the new premier league and various competitions.
For now, both Walusimbi and Magogo are insisting that they are in charge of the game in Uganda. Unless something gives, they could end up in court – or FIFA officials could be back in town to resolve this matter as well.
Featured Photo(Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni) Courtesy of theinsider.ug
