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Magogo: We’ll do all to complete season
Magogo is intent on ensuring local football makes strides forward. PHOTO BY EDDIE CHICCO
What you need to know:
- The status of the 2019/20 football campaign in Uganda remains in balance with authorities uncertain when it will be completed.
- Fufa’s wish is that the season winners and losers are determined sportingly on the pitch
Fufa president Moses Magogo remains optimistic that the 2019/20 football season will be sportingly completed on the pitch but admits circumstances for that to happen as he wishes are beyond him.
All sporting activity in the country is still on a lockdown as part of government measures to contain the spread of the Coronavirus. President Museveni is expected to give an update when the current provisional lockdown ends on May 5, although easing ban on mass gatherings - where sports falls - could still be a long hit.
With that uncertainty, Fufa and the StarTimes Uganda Premier League (SUPL) remain in a state of bother on the status of the national league completion and pre-season activities, factoring in mind that the 2020/21 season is also beckoning in September.
Optimistic
“We really hoped to do many things during the offseason for club football but with the league still in balance we are limited,” Magogo told Daily Monitor yesterday.
“We still think with five rounds (of UPL) remaining we need a maximum of one month to determine the winners and losers sportingly on pitch. “Not until we see that we can’t have the one month by August that is when we shall entertain the discussion of which buttons to press.”
Last dice
The Fufa president added: “We (also) have the option of extending the start of 2020/21 season to October in the worst case scenario. “We also have a contingency rule of 75% of the league which was last used 29 years ago in Uganda.”
Article 18 (ii) of Fufa’s competition rules on failure to complete the league due to force majeure states that “where all the clubs in the league have completed the first round fixtures but less than 75% league games have been played, the table standings at the end of the first round shall be considered as the final table standing of the league.”
Currently, over 80 per cent has been played and should the season fail to continue, Vipers would be champions with Proline, Tooro United and Maroons being relegated.
Fifa aid
Regarding possible relief funding for stakeholders, Magogo also said they are “discussing internally as Fufa but closely watching what Fifa is doing.
“They (Fifa) have involved us in online consultative meetings on the kind of package Fifa may provide for the direct support of football stakeholders.”
Fifa recently released Shs1.9b to each of their 211 national member associations globally, including Fufa to help mitigate financial distress that might have been caused by Coronavirus.
“Together with our stakeholders, we are we assessing the losses and we are working on the most appropriate and effective tools to implement the other stages of this relief plan,” said the world soccer body in their communication.
WHAT THE LAW SAYS;
Article 18 (ii) of Fufa’s competition rules on failure to complete the league due to force majeure states that “where all the clubs in the league have completed the first round fixtures but less than 75% league games have been played, the table standings at the end of the first round shall be considered as the final log of the league.”
