Like many other leagues in Africa, the fate of 2019/2020 Ugandan Premier League season is currently causing confusion owing to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Federation of Uganda Football Association (FUFA ) firstly suspended the league for a period of 32 days, setting April 19 as the resumption date.
This was due to orders from the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni who, in his address to the nation, stated public gatherings were banned henceforth.
Then came the extension of the lockdown by the government which is expected to end on May 5, although lifting the ban on public gatherings remains uncertain.
Already, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has sent a letter to the FUFA requesting a status update on the situation and future of their national league.
But FUFA president Moses Magogo remains optimistic that the 2019/20 football season will be completed on the pitch. However, he doesn’t rule that there might be some challenges in completing the remaining five round of matches.
“We really hoped to do many things during the offseason for club football but with the league still in balance we are limited,” Magogo told Ugandan newspaper, Daily Monitor yesterday.
“We still think with five rounds (of UPL) remaining we need a maximum of one month to determine the winners and losers sportingly on the pitch.
“Not until we see that we can’t have the one month by August that is when we shall entertain the discussion of which buttons to press.”
Magogo added that there is an option to extend to begin the next season in October so as to give time for the completion of the league.
“We (also) have the option of extending the start of 2020/21 season to October in the worst-case scenario,” he added.
He also noted that FUFA can move and declare the league won’t continue further by imposing Article 18 (ii) of its competition rules
“We also have a contingency rule of 75% of the league which was last used 29 years ago in Uganda,” he concluded.
The clause states that where the league format, due to circumstances of force majeure, fails to be completed within the season, the league winners shall be determined by the table standings at the end of the first round.
Vipers, who currently top the league table, will be declared the champions with Proline, Tooro United and Maroons being relegated.
