Following weeks of public scrutiny and backlash from teams mainly from defending champions Vipers SC, the Moses Magogo led Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) has bowed to pressure and reverted back to the old Star Times Uganda Premier League format.
While addressing media on Saturday, FUFA President Magogo revealed that the FUFA Executive committee has dropped the controversial new league format with immediate effect following a meeting between FUFA, the Uganda Premier League secretariat and clubs.
“As FUFA, we have listened to the clubs and other stakeholders and agreed that we revert to the old format for this season. We will go back and make more reviews, further consultations and we will get back to it next season,” he said.
According to Magogo, FUFA has also agreed with the UPL clubs that the new format is tried and tested in a lower league competition.
“We believe that by the end of the 2025/26 season, we will have had enough time to explain the new league format to all stakeholders” he said.
Magogo further noted that it was only the UPL format that was discussed with the rest of the lower leagues changes remaining in play.
On Saturday, only 11 of the 16 clubs in the top flight attended the meeting at FUFA House to discuss how to forge a way forward on how the league will be played out.
Bold Stand against Controversial New Format
Vipers SC President, Lawrence Mulindwa has in the recent weeks been making headlines after he insisted that the club would not take part in the double header league format over a number of unexplained irregularities.
To ensure his stance is felt against what he referred to as a rushed decision by FUFA, Vipers was a no show for their League game against Kitara FC at Mandela National Stadium Namboole despite 15 of the 16 clubs eventually opting to play.
FUFA’s new planned format was further hit hard after fans from Vipers SC and other disgruntled clubs with the league format abandoned attending matches, which proved to be the breaking point for FUFA to rethink it’s new format in order to save Ugandan football from a gloomy future.
“Football is all about the fans. As FUFA, we ought to listen, we have listened to the clubs, our sponsors, the general public, and to the fans” Magogo noted on Saturday.
With the controversial new format now out of the way, it remains to be seen if Vipers will now participate to defend their title.
