Clubs struggle to adopt online transfer system

IGANGA. Federation of Uganda Football Association (Fufa) President, Moses Magogo, has said his executive is going to make it simpler for clubs, districts, and regions to work online after learning that most of them are being bogged down by the licensing system.

The Federation of International Football Association (Fifa) Transfer Matching System (TMS) is an online platform for its member’s associations to record player transfers between clubs. Its introduction was approved by the Fifa Congress in 2009 and made mandatory from October 1, 2010.

However, over 50 delegates from the districts of Jinja, Bugiri, Bugweri, Buyende, Iganga, Kaliro, Kamuli, Luuka, Mayuge, Namayingo and Namutumba told the Magogo-led Fufa executive that all isn’t rosy because of the TMS.

Magogo said they are moving across the country with an objective of interacting with stakeholders at the grass root to understand their programme, what they are doing and going to bring, but to also appreciate some of the challenges that they face.

“We realise that the biggest challenge is licensing online systems, equipment and the know-how of technology which has affected many districts and so many players,” Magogo said in Iganga on Tuesday.

“However, going forward, we are going to look into the matter as an executive and try to make it simpler for clubs, districts, and regions to work online,” he added.

The Busoga Kingdom sports minister, Amin Bossa, said a lot of issues were discussed during the Fufa executive tour of the Eastern region tour, but the cardinal issue was the licensing system, which he said some people are not well-versed with.

“At times, even when we take the licenses; you take 25 licenses and you receive 15 or 17, which hinders the progress of the clubs that are licensing those players,” Amin said.

This, he added, also affects the players because it is until they get a license that they get playing time.

Another contentious issue discussed by the delegates, according to Amin, was the DFA chairmen, who said whenever they come to the General Assembly of the region, they are taken as ex officio, whereas they also wanted to give their views from their respective DFAs about football.

Amin was quick to add that Fufa and Eastern region statutes require only delegates to participate in the General Assembly, but Magogo allegedly agreed to a concession, which will see an amendment of those statutes to have the chairmen becoming part of the delegates.

Zaituni Mutesi, a national delegate from the Eastern region, said the biggest challenge in football is “poor mindset”, adding that the way people look at football has changed and is no longer as it used to be.

She said: “When they bring up issues regarding ‘system’, many people see it as something that is difficult to undertake yet when you read about it, everything becomes simplified. Most clubs and football administrators in the eastern region, however, lack the will.”

According to her, there have been challenges with licensing of players which she hopes will be sorted out when whoever is in charge of inputting licenses in the system has learnt, and also when those who approve do so on time.

Because of the challenges in online licensing, most footballers are not in position to play the game without a license from Fufa, yet the process is long.

“In most cases, when a player is entered in the system, he or she may take a long to be approved yet the league has to start,” she noted.

Webster Kula, the director of football at Buteme Sports Foundation, however, says although clubs aren’t well-conversant with online licensing, there is a lot of “backlog” at Fufa. “Most licenses are pending due to ‘technicalities’ at Fufa, not the teams,” he said.

Carolyn Birungi, a Uganda Women Football Association (UWFA) delegate, said some of the key challenges they raised were about equipment, but have been given a starting point, with Eng Magogo promising more balls with time