Ugandan football’s governing body, the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA), is facing mounting backlash after pressing ahead with ticket sales for Saturday’s Uganda Premier League (UPL) double-header at Namboole, despite reigning champions Vipers SC confirming their withdrawal from the fixture.
The federation has continued to hype the long-awaited return of league action at the refurbished Mandela National Stadium, splashing social media with posters urging fans to “grab their tickets now” for the twin bill featuring Vipers versus Kitara and, later in the evening, KCCA against SC Villa.
However, Vipers had already made their position crystal clear. In a strongly worded letter issued midweek, club president Lawrence Mulindwa announced that his side “would not participate in the new league format double-header game against Kitara… until FUFA formally and respectfully responds to the issues raised in our various correspondences and petitions.”
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Mulindwa accused FUFA of “disrespect, blackmail, and ridicule,” condemning the federation’s rollout of the new three-round league structure, which he said was introduced “without consultation” and with no regard for the financial implications for clubs.
Yet despite that public declaration, FUFA has pressed on as though nothing has changed—continuing to advertise and sell tickets for both fixtures, a move that has drawn widespread condemnation and allegations of deceit.
Fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to vent their fury. One wrote, “This is daylight fraud. How can FUFA keep selling tickets for a game they know one team has officially withdrawn from? They are taking fans for fools.” Another fumed, “We are tired of this impunity. If Vipers are not playing, what are we paying for? Refunds will be chaos.”
The outrage has quickly spread beyond Vipers’ fanbase. Supporters of other traditional giants—KCCA, Villa, and Express—accused their clubs of caving in to what they described as FUFA’s “bullying tactics” and demanded a united front against the federation’s controversial reforms.
“KCCA management is disappointing us,” one fan lamented. “They should stand with Vipers and other clubs against this sham of a format. From today, I am #TeamVipers.”
KCCA’s official X page was soon flooded with angry comments, with many fans threatening to switch allegiance to Vipers in protest. Hashtags such as #BoycottUPL and #RespectTheGame began trending overnight, reflecting growing discontent within the domestic football community.
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The defiance from Vipers appears to have emboldened others. SC Villa president Omar Mandela on Friday released a brief statement criticizing FUFA’s handling of the league reforms, although he stopped short of declaring a boycott, saying the Jogoos’ participation would continue “solely for the technical team and the playing staff.”
At the heart of the storm is FUFA’s newly introduced three-round format for the 2025/26 UPL season. The system features an initial one-leg round involving all 16 clubs, followed by split home-and-away phases, and concludes with single-leg playoffs to decide the champions and relegated sides.
While FUFA has hailed the changes as a way to make the league “faster, fiercer, and fairer,” clubs insist it is a logistical and financial nightmare. They warn it will slash home match revenue, create scheduling chaos, and erode competitive balance—all without any meaningful consultation.
Mulindwa, who once served as FUFA president from 2005 to 2013, has vowed that his club “will use all available means within the confines of football laws” to safeguard its autonomy.
Legal experts and fan advocates say FUFA’s persistence in selling tickets for a fixture whose viability is in serious doubt could expose the federation to fraud claims under consumer protection laws if fans are not warned of the potential cancellation.
As of Saturday morning, FUFA had not issued any clarification on the matter nor offered assurances of refunds. Its social media pages continued to promote the “Namboole double-header” featuring both matches as if the stand-off with Vipers did not exist.
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The impasse threatens to overshadow what was meant to be a triumphant return of domestic football to the renovated national stadium. With hours left to kick-off, uncertainty still hangs in the air: Will the Vipers–Kitara clash proceed, be scrapped, or replaced at the last minute?
Regardless of the outcome, the dispute has deepened the widening rift between FUFA and its member clubs, casting a long shadow over the federation’s new league era and the credibility of Ugandan football’s leadership.
