We’ll take this – clubs
Anisha Muhoozi
Top-flight clubs say the Shs33m each will receive is barely enough to clear a month’s worth of operational expenses but they will receive the ‘half loaf ’ nonetheless.
There has been no sporting ac-tion since reality hit top-flight football clubs that relief funds from Fifa to help provide tempo-rary buffer from Covid-19 effects were indeed just that – a respite.However, a good representation that Daily Monitor spoke to agree that half a loaf is better than none at all.
Fufa yesterday announced sharing of the $500,000 (Shs1.8b) Fifa solidarity fund with stakeholders in the game.In the allocations, the 16 Uganda Premier League clubs will receive a com-bined Shs527m, giving each a round figure of Shs33m. Each of the Fufa Big League clubs will receive Shs15m, total-ing to Shs240m. Restarting competitions, including the lower leagues, playoffs and organisation will take Shs177m, and national youth teams Shs100m.
Improve allocation criteriaWhile Shs527m looks a good figure for the Premier League clubs, it is actually meagre when split among the 16. “Any income that is received by the club makes a difference given that it was not expected,” said KCCA chief executive An-isha Muhoozi.
“However, considering our expenses, this is a drop in the ocean but we are, nonetheless, grateful.”Muhoozi, who said their share will go into operational expenses, prayed that “in future, such funds are allocated to clubs as per their wholesome contribu-tion to the game and not on a flat basis.”“Our expenses are way above the oth-ers and likewise what we bring to table is different as showcased by our various budgets presented to Fufa as per club li-censing requirements,” she explained.
League champions Vipers called the re-lief funds timely as it “may help to miti-gate a small percentage of the club’s fi-nancial and operational obligations to staff and players.”The club spokesperson, Abdu Wasike, who invoked the half a loaf adage to make his point, took comfort in the fact that “the second batch of $500,000 from Fifa will solve an extra percentage.”“The stakeholders are many, except I thought Fufa administration had re-ceived their share already in the opera-tional fund earlier sent by Fifa,” he said.
Fufa spokesperson Ahmed Hussein ex-plained the Shs30m allocated as “Fufa administrative” covers losses suffered in sponsorship during Covid-19.
Express chief executive Isaac Mwesigwa was more welcoming. “The funds have come in handy as we are preparing for the new season,” he said. “Clubs did not have money, so it’s fine.”Mwesigwa’s counterpart at Wakiso Gi-ants, Sula Kamoga, was not that excited. “Shs33m is a club’s monthly salary sched-ule,” he said, “so that means the amount of relief is for just a month.“But as UPL clubs, who are the only semi professionals in the country, we feel we could have gotten more because most of the other clubs are only active when there’s active play of football.”Women football was not included in the allocation, with Fufa chief executive Edgar Watson explaining that their share is still a process in the works that involves application to Fifa .
