Arua Hill spiralled like a fireball

Two-and-a-half years ago, Arua Hill burst into the StarTimes Uganda Premier League with pomp and glamour. That followed a season in the Fufa Big League where they spent just one season after rebranding from Aziz Damani Doves to Arua Hills.

The-then club owner Joel Aita had launched a five-year strategic plan in September 2020 detailing their intended path from promotion to the topflight in 2023 and winning the championship at the climax of the plan in 2025.

They hit the first target with a year to spare but will neither manage the ambitious second one (winning UPL) nor complete the cycle of their plan after Fufa relegated them to the 2024/25 betPawa Big League on Tuesday.

Fufa had initially directed the Uganda Premier League secretariat to exclude the club from the second-round fixtures pending further assessment of the club licensing requirements. The same happened before the first round.

The move came after the club’s administration and financial woes escalated to an unbearable situation where they could only gather seven players for their 7-1 loss to Kitara on December 28.

“On January 10, 2024, the Committee conducted a meeting to assess Arua Hill Sports Club’s file and its standing across all the five aspects of the Club Licensing Criteria,” Fufa said in their ruling.

Explaining that, “This was prompted by among others reports of the club failing to raise the required number of players for a football match and receiving several club ownership transfers.”

Massive flaws

Before that, the club had announced former Busoga United chief executive officer-cum-interim chairman Hassan Takoowa as the new man to steer them from the chaos.

As we’ll realise, Kongolo lacked in almost all the requirements – sporting, infrastructure, both technical and administrative human resource, legal and financial!

“We were given a number of things to fulfill and submit in our appeal before the end of January 29,” Takoowa gave Daily Monitor the details.

First, the team failed to submit a minimum number of 18 players (including two goalkeepers), their technical bench was left vacant after the departure of coach Livingstone Mbabazi and his assistants. Takoowa and his team were also required to present a junior league team and its coach, financial officer, a physiotherapist, office and a training facility.

They appointed coach Sadiq Ssempigi, his deputy Frank Ssebagala and their technical team on the January 29 deadline for the filing of the appeal. The rest were impossible to conjure up within the timeframe.

Financially handicapped

The club was also asked for a bank account and its statement for six months, an annual budget and a letter of guarantee for payment of staff. The club was also required to present proof that they had paid all staff every three months to zero balance.

“We tried but some things were a bit hard like proving that nobody was demanding,” Takoowa explains.

A member of the team revealed that they were "exploring options to take legal actions against Plascon Paints for breaching their three-year sh1.5b sponsorship agreement".

“But we explained that we were a new management and had a plan to clear up some of the requirements that could take longer than the time we had,” Takoowa adds.

Shifting home

Kongolo were also declared homeless after their Adjumani’s Paridi Stadium makeshift facility was declared unfit.

“Paridi [Stadium] had some issues so we asked for Maroons Stadium but the committee rejected stating that the Luzira facility was congested,” Takoowa narrates.

“We chose Bombo in the appeal so that we could also shorten the distance from Adjumani because of financial difficulties.”

Besides the stadium, Arua Hill appointed Brenda Nyamwizi who possesses the Famaco II certificate that Fufa requires.

Ownership puzzle

Aita had earlier confirmed via social media that he had left the club. Takoowa revealed that there was an attempt to change ownership to coach Mbabazi and club media officer Adams 'Otelul' Lematia but the process had not been completed at the Uganda Registration Service Bureau (URSB) and Fufa before he arrived. He had thus embarked on a fresh move to change it from Aita, who is currently recognized as the owner by Fufa to himself (Takoowa) “and his team”.

Implication

The appeals body noted that Arua Hill Sports Club has continuously violated the licensing regulations and “upheld the decision of the Fufa Club Licensing Committee”.

“The club is therefore advised to prepare for club licensing in the men’s second division league for the season 2024/25,” Fufa instructed the club.

“It is unfortunate that the appeals committee did not look into what we submitted later but we now embark on preparations for Big league,” Takoowa resigned to his club’s fate. Arua had accumulated only five points from the first round.

Article 26.11 that guides on fixture management and fulfilment states that: “If at the time of withdrawal, the club has played 50% and above of the league, the results of the first round shall be sustained while all the results of matches in the second round shall be nullified.”

Arua Hill timeline

2005 - Founded as Doves FC

2014 – Renamed Doves All Stars

2015 – Promoted to Big League and Nasur Buga acquires ownership

2018 – Challa Siva acquires ownership and rebrands to Aziz Damani Dove All Stars

August 2020 – Bought By Joel Aita’s Development Investment

September 15, 2020 – Fufa executive committee approves change of name from Doves All Stars to Arua Hills

June 13, 2021 – Promoted to the StarTimes Uganda Premier League

2021/22 – finished fifth in the UPL

2022/23 – finished fourth in the UPL

February 7, 2023 – Relegated to Fufa Big League