Judul : Fufa make appeal to media to support new format
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Fufa make appeal to media to support new format
What you need to know:
Fufa promise locker room bonuses, man of the match awards, data analysis, prize money, medical insurance and contract security with this format.
Fufa sought a candid engagement with sports journalists over the new Uganda Premier League (UPL) format and got it.
The football governing body has met both acceptance and resilience from all sets of stakeholders; clubs, fans, and the media over the format, which has teams playing three rounds. But it is clear that there is no backing down.
The first round with each of the 16 teams playing each other once after lots are drawn to determine which team hosts a particular fixture. In the second round, the sides will be split into the top half with eight (named Group 1) and the bottom half also with eight (Group 2). Each group will have sides play each other home and away.
In the third round, the top six sides from Group 1 create a Group 3 and play each other once to fight for the title.
The bottom two from Group 1 and top two from Group 2 then meet in Group 4 while the bottom six from Group 2 meet in Group 5.
The side that hosted a corresponding fixture in Round 1, travels away in Round 3. The bottom two from Group 5 are relegated.
"We need to be understood," Fufa president Moses Magogo told the media at the gathering held at Theatre La Bonita last Friday.
"We agree that there could be differences in opinion. But let us start with communicating the truth about the reforms," he added.
Most questions from the media centred around the new format but Nation Media Group veteran Sam Mpoza threw a spanner in the works when he suggested "the problem of the league is not the lack of competition but lack of fans in stadiums."
"I am not convinced that because of the new format, fans are suddenly going to fill the stadium to watch a match between UPDF and Police or URA".
"Such government institutions are important and should fund the game but with the way they treat people, it is hard for citizens to find attachment to them. They should rebrand.
"Do you ask yourselves why the stadiums are always full during Masaza Cup (games) and why people turned up to watch Uganda Cranes (against Guinea) at Chan even after they lost 3-0 to Algeria? People feel attachment to those teams. Uganda is their country and they were willing to forgive the poor performance," Mpoza said.
Magogo, who was flanked by members of his executive committee and Uganda Sports Press Association (Uspa) president Moses Al-Sayed Lubega, agreed and said there will be even more reforms in the future.
"We have already analyzed the situation you are talking about and we are doing some work behind the scenes to ensure community clubs that are competitive come up. But Fufa does not come out fully on things when our plans are not finished," Magogo explained and revealed that Fufa is introducing a 4th tier league at Province level, where a place like Busoga could have its own league from where top teams advance to the 3rd tier regional leagues.
Sole objective
Magogo insists Fufa's sole objective with the new format is to "create competition" through redress.
"You need resources like time, money, and people for a professional league to survive.
"We all agree that our league is not generating money and people insist Fufa must give the clubs money. We must create events to get the money. You cannot do things the same way over and over again and accept different results," Magogo said as he explained why the format is a do-or-die for them.
To make his case, Magogo recounted Fufa's track record in terms of establishing tournaments like the Fufa Junior League, growing their revenue from Shs4b to Sh40b, winning the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon 2027 Pamoja) hosting bid, and growing from "struggling to raise money for air tickets for the national team to having 10 active national teams."
Fufa further highlighted that they were prompted by analysis from European football governing body Uefa, through a cooperation agreement, for the last four years which highlighted "challenges in player development and competitions" in Uganda.
These issues are also tailored to Fufa's technical master plan which stands on four pillars; identification of talent through mass football, creating thr players' development path which will culminate with establishment of a national football academy, re-engineering club football to absorb the talent produced, addressing life after playing.
"Our investment in the league will also come with an increase of members on the UPL board from five to seven members.
"We have also asked the board to beef up the secretariat of the league in the areas of marketing, broadcast, and media among others. But to employ people you must pay them.
"We are also cutting the referees from 100 to 50 - that is 25 centre referees and 25 assistants - and the idea is to make this an exclusive class to join. We have been providing them with welfare, accommodation, and transport before matches but they would wait for their allowances. Now we can reduce that waiting time and also provide medical insurance.
"We also want to create technical officers, from among the players that retired but are not involved in coaching, to create a technical study group akin to Caf's. These will help us in analysing the data from matches and determining the best players from matches," Magogo explained.
Fufa has also given clubs Shs25m ahead of the first round of the new season. A similar amount will be provided ahead of the second round and Shs30m is expected ahead of Round Three. This Shs80m is separate from the prize money.
"Fufa gets money from government, Caf, Fifa, and our sponsors. But this league money is not coming from government because that one comes with specific instructions on how to spend it. However, we have requested the President and Parliament to support clubs because the investors are helping young people to get a life," Magogo said.
Fufa promise locker room bonuses, man of the match awards, data analysis, prize money, medical insurance and contract security with this format.
They also expect UPL sponsors StarTimes to continue providing the Shs80m per club over the course of the season.
Dead rubbers
So couldn't all these reforms and the investment be made to the previous format?
"We want every match to count. And in the old format, there are so many matches that become dead rubbers. This helps me answer those who have been asking about the mid-table teams that could influence results.
"In sport, there is pre-determination of results for sporting reasons and for betting. Even if you have 16 teams playing home and away, you still have the middle teams. And the formula has been easy, you get 33 points and you are sure you are safe from relegation. You have seen teams get to 35 points then wonder what happened to their form as the players, coaches, and management are not bothered. Here (new format), the games are fewer and it is easy to jump from eighth to first. So, at least with the new format, we will have cured pre-determination of results for sporting reasons.
"There is also a saying that iron sharpens iron. To become champion, teams of equal strength will have to play against each other.
"Football is interesting because you can go to the village and teams there can compete against each other. In fact some of you even ask that some of those players come to the national team. But that is football science - that teams of the same strength can always be competitive against each other but it does not mean that a village team has the quality to play against a team in the national league.
"We believe we are creating more competitive games. If you look at the table of last season, KCCA and Vipers have an opportunity to host each other twice and that creates opportunities for them to market their brands to sponsors," Magogo argued.
The concerns
For now questions still linger. Some have questioned Fufa's record of paying their dues as regards prize monies and national team players.
"We send the money as and when we receive it. We cannot pay what we have not received. But we are talking to an agency that will handle these payments and our aim (in the league) is that a player of the match or players from the winning team return home with something after the match," Magogo said.
Round 3 will have its Group 4 (middle class) having just four teams hence fewer matches than the sides in the groups fighting for the title and to avoid relegation. This, Fufa, hope to remedy in the 2026/27 season by promoting four teams from the 2025/26 Fufa Big League season.
There are also arguments against points from Round 1 not being carried forward yet the goals scored by individuals will be. There are also concerns about teams getting an uneven number of home and away games in the decisive Round 3.
Fufa warn that teams must start strong from the onset of the league.
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