Kasule knocked out, Magogo set to return as FUFA president

Mujib Kasule (L) and Moses Magogo (R)

What you need to know:

  • In addition, you need endorsements from an Azam Uganda Premier League club and a Special Interest Group (SIG).
  • That seven-man committee that also had delegates Magogo, Sam Mpiima, Rogers Byamukama and then Fufa lawyer Alex Luganda sat at Katomi Country Resort, Entebbe.

KAMPALA. A two-page document about Mujib Kasule’s candidacy in the August 5 Fufa presidential election reserved the most important statement for the final paragraph.
“Mujib Kasule failed to fulfill the mandatory requirements and is therefore ineligible for nomination as a candidate for Fufa President,” the document signed by all six members of the Fufa Electoral Committee read.
The implication is that incumbent Moses Magogo will stretch his term to eight years following the elective Fufa General Assembly to be held in Masindi.

When contacted by Daily Monitor, Kasule said he will make a decision in due course. “I will meet my people and see what to do next,” he said.
The Sam Bakiika-led committee had deferred the decision on Kasule’s candidate from Friday to Monday, way outside the deadline as prescribed by the Fufa Electoral Guidelines and Code.
When Bakiika, flanked by his entire committee, read out the statement after 6pm, they noted that Kasule failed to comply with three key articles of the Fufa Electoral Code 2012.
Article 10 (5): Nominations of candidates shall be made by both the Chairman and Secretary of fully subscribed members. Where members are individuals, nominations will be done by fully subscribed members.

Article 10 (6): Subject to the fulfilment of the eligibility prerequisites, a candidate to the office of the FUFA President shall only be valid if supported by any three members of FUFA where one such member is from the FUFA Super League Clubs or FUFA Big League, the other member being from Special interest groups as defined in article 10 (1) (d-1) of the FUFA Statutes and the other member being a Regional Football Association.
Article 11 (2): Candidatures will be registered by the EC, scrutinized by the EC for compliance with this code, the FIFA, CAF, FUFA and/or respective statutes of the organization for whom elections are being conducted and declared eligible for election after payment of the respective fees as stipulated in this code.

In simple terms, for one to take the top football jobs, he or she must be nominated by at least one of the eight Fufa regions.
In addition, you need endorsements from an Azam Uganda Premier League club and a Special Interest Group (SIG).
Those groups include referees, women's football association, women’s league, schools, youth, coaches, beach soccer, players, Fufa Big League and Azam Uganda Premier League.
The Proline director and coach only had the endorsement letter from UPL side Vipers. He had neither a letter from Buganda region (his backers) nor the SIGs when nominations were due to close on Friday.

Though Kasule cited sabotage from when he picked nomination papers on Wednesday, including the “hiding” of delegates and the stoning of his car, he admitted to being ill-prepared.
Ironically, the rules that could be used to knock out Kasule, also a Caf coaching instructor, were designed by a committee he was part of while Fufa vice president back in 2012.
That seven-man committee that also had delegates Magogo, Sam Mpiima, Rogers Byamukama and then Fufa lawyer Alex Luganda sat at Katomi Country Resort, Entebbe.
At the time, it was seen as a ploy to lock out Vision Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Robert Kabushenga who had voiced his intentions of contesting for the job.