Fufa reforms face test as clubs meet

Fufa’s wide ranging proposals for competitions reforms will have their first reviews by parties involved today.
Chairpersons/representatives of 14 Uganda Premier League (UPL) clubs will meet with the FA at Fufa House in Mengo to dig into the reforms as well as tackle other concerns raised by stakeholders.

In their proposals announced in March, the Fufa executive offered that the number of UPL clubs reduce from 16 to 12 as part of wider reforms to professionalise football.

Today’s meeting will have a feeling of more legitimacy after only six clubs attended the earlier version a week ago, which was shunned by eight citing poor communication and mixing of agendas.

UPL CEO Bernard Bainamani was a happy man as he confirmed to Daily Monitor yesterday he expects that clubs will attend.

“So far so good,” he said, “At least we are receiving communication from them and unless something else happens, they have promised to attend.”

Dinah Nyago, the Busoga United outspoken chairperson that was one of eight clubs that boycotted the earlier meeting was apt: “Yes, we are attending.”

The meeting’s agenda, guided by Fufa, will touch last season’s review and ultimately the proposed reforms, which also call for each top-flight club to have an U20 side for the reserve league.

“We think it is going to be costly to clubs because you cannot wish away the junior team yet we must have the U20 team also,” explained Nyago.

“However, we shall go to the meeting with an open mind willing to learn.”

Nyago will also be looking out for an opportunity to voice some of the concerns her and other clubs raised last week. They believe they have ceded too much power to Fufa. “Given an opportunity, yes,” she said. SC Villa, KCCA, Wakiso Giants, Bright Stars and champions Vipers among others have also promised to voice their dissatisfaction about the proposal to reduce the number of clubs. SC Villa CEO Mubiru said: “ The problem is lack of infrastructure like stadiums, let us discuss that.”

KCCA vice chairman Aggrey Ashaba said “A solution must match the challenge. In this case the challenge of clubs is not league size per se; it’s rather governance and finance. League champions Vipers spokesman Abdu Wasike that “As a club, our position is that 12 teams minimises football distribution in the country.”

KCCA, however, welcomed the newly proposed U-20 Reserve League saying “it fits well within our ambitions.”
How it will work
According to the Fufa, the 2020/21 season will be a transition period; with UPL clubs starting out at the usual 16 before six are relegated, instead of the current three. This is to ensure the take-off 2021/22 season begins with 12, which include the two that will have been promoted from the Big League. Currently, three get promoted.
Instead of the two home and away rounds currently, the 2021/22 league season will be played over three rounds.

Fufa proposal in brief
DIVISION 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22
UPL clubs 16 16 12
UPL rounds 02 02 03
Relegation 03 06 02
Up from BL 03 02 02
UPL U20 00 00 12
Big League 18 16 16
Groups 02 02 02
P’ted to UPL 03 02 02
Down Div 3 04 06 04
Up to Div 2 04 02 04
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