Caf championship: School giants in age drama

Royal Giants High School-Mityana players celebrate one of their goals during the CAF African Schools Championship-Uganda 2022 at the FUFA Technical Centre, Njeru. PHOTO/FUFA

What you need to know:

  • Whereas Kitende was the most affected, at least a player failed to pass the test from all the other teams.

There was drama as several schools struggled to present eligible players as the Caf Schools Championship kicked off at the Fufa Technical Centre in Njeru at the weekend.

Uganda Secondary School Sports Association football champions St Mary’s Kitende were hard hit when the team was trimmed down to six players on day one where they received a 4-0 beating at the hands of Dynamic SS.

They suffered a second loss against Royal Giants yesterday despite leading 2-0 through Frank Ssekanjako’s double. Ronald Bwikizo’s brace and Ibrahim Ngobi’s strike secured all three points for the fans-favourites from Mityana.

The team’s head coach  Daniel Male declined to speak to the media but his assistant Hakim Mutebi moaned about having less players.

“We had only six players for the first match and eight for the second of which one got injured. We came with enough players but they were screened out; we tried to add more on Sunday but they (Fufa) delayed to screen them,” he said.

Whereas Kitende was the most affected, at least a player failed to pass the test from all the other teams.

Fufa youth development officer Bashir Mutyaba said that whereas no scientific method was used to test the players, other reliable means were deployed.

“For fairness, those who were found ineligible for the championship were eliminated,” Mutyaba explained.

“We based on various methods like observation of physical characteristics of growth and development, documentation presented to the organising committee and reliance available player databases.”

CAF African Schools Championship-Uganda 2022
Matchday Two

Group A
Boston High School 2-4 Jinja SS
Mukono Kings High School 3-1 Standard High School, Zzana
Jinja SS 0-1 Mukono Kings High
Standard High School 3-1 Buddo SS

Group B
Amus College 0-4 Dynamic SS
Royal Giants High School 3-2 St. Mary’s Boarding School, Kitende
St. Mary’s Boarding School, Kitende 9-0 Kibuli SS
Dynamic SS 1-3 Royal Giants High School

Final Group Fixtures
Monday, 18th July 2022

Mukono Kings High School vs Boston High School

Buddo SS vs Jinja SS
Royal Giants High School vs Amus College School
Kibuli SS vs Dynamic SS

Source- FUFA