UCU Lady Cardinals stare at relegation

One has to roll back to the weekend of January 21 to find the last time Uganda Christian University (UCU) Lady Cardinals last won a game in the Fufa Women Super League (FWSL).

That was the eighth match day of the 2023/2024 season. Since then, UCU have drawn thrice and lost four – including the last three – league matches leaving them wallowing in ninth place on the 10 team league and almost about to drop to the second tier Fufa Women Elite League (FWEL).

Some of the problems are systemic. For example, UCU will barely retain players that are done with school and want to move on. So the January transfer window saw defender Bridget Nabisaalu and the versatile Faith Apio move to She Maroons.

But that was coupled with a crazy decision to let goalkeeper Hadijah Nalongo move to FWEL side She Corporate.

“That was an inhouse decision and we do not want to comment about it,” coach Godfrey Magoba, told Sunday Monitor at the time about the goalkeeper’s switch.

Coaches suspended

Magoba himself was last seen on the UCU bench on February 25 and results have gone further south since. He has missed the four league matches that came after and two Fufa Women Cup games. Recently, even his assistant Colines Ahumuza has been missing and there were some media reports linking her to a job at the Speaker of Parliament’s school Bukedea Comprehensive.

The UCU sports tutor Sam Lukaire shared after the 2-1 loss to Uganda Martyrs High School (UMHS) that the two “have been suspended by the university for the rest of the season because of absenteeism.”

A source close to the coaches shared that they have struggled to show the university why it should continue funding a team that last won the Cup in 2018 and the league in 2019.

“Mago also went for some studies in Dar-es-Salaam, which he thought would improve him and the team, but his absence did not go down well with the University and they chose to suspend them.”

The coach declined to comment about his absence saying “it is a subject for the club public relations officer to handle.” He, however, insisted that “UCU will avoid drop by winning at least two of the last three matches.”

FUFA WOMEN SUPER LEAGUE

Sunday, 10am

Kampala Queens vs. Lady Doves, MTN Omondi – Lugogo

FWSL Table

Kawempe Muslim       16        10        4          2          29        12        34

Kampala Queens         14        7          6          1          20        10        27

Uganda Martyrs          16        6          6          4          20        18        24

She Maroons               15        6          4          5          23        16        22

Rines SS WFC            16        5          5          6          18        26        20

Lady Doves                 14        5          3          6          19        18        18

Wakiso Hill WFC       16        5          3          8          15        22        18

Makerere University   15        2          10        3          16        20        16

UCU Lady Cardinals  15        3          5          7          11        15        14

Asubo Ladies              15        2          4          9          14        28        10

UCU’s Recent League Form

UCU 1-2 UMHS

UCU 1-2 Kawempe
Wakiso 0-2 UCU

UCU 1-1 Kampala Queens

Makerere 0-0 UCU

UCU 1-3 She Maroons

She Maroons 0-0 UCU

Cup Form

Last 16: Makerere 1-2 UCU

Round of 32: Isra Academy 2-3 UCU