Uganda Premier League outfit KCCA FC on Tuesday got a bye in the first round of the 2023/24 CAF Confederation Cup.

The development followed the draw event for Africa’s premier club competitions conducted today in Cairo, Egypt.

Therefore, in the second round, they will face the winner on aggregate between Olympique de Béja (Tunisia) and Abu Salim SC (Libya).

The aforementioned level will be the last round before teams qualify for the group stage.

The second round of games will be played between September 17th – 1st October 2023.

FUFA has confirmed that a team from CAF will be in Uganda to inspect and make an assessment of the proposed venues that were listed in the East Africa PAMOJA bid for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

In a press briefing held on Tuesday at FUFA House, FUFA President Moses Magogo Hassim revealed the Venues that Uganda listed.

“The CAF Inspection Team will visit the three East African states, starting with Kenya today and will be in Uganda on the 28th and 29th of July before proceeding to Tanzania. As FUFA, we have earmarked some of the venues that will be used for sampling purposes during the inspection,” he revealed.

According to Magogo, CAF in their inspection will look at five key areas namely; stadiums, training grounds, hospitals, hotels and airports.

He went ahead to reveal the venues that will be inspected.

Hospital – Mulago Hospital

Hotels – Sheraton Hotel and Kampala Serena Hotel

Training Grounds – Kampala International School Uganda (KISU), Muteesa II Stadium Wankulukuku, Denver Godwin Stadium, St. Mary’s Stadium and Nakivubo Stadium.

Stadiums – Mandela National Stadium, Akii Bua Stadium and Hoima (Proposed for construction)

Airports – Entebbe International Airport, Kabalega Airport, Hoima.

Magogo called upon Ugandans to embrace and support the bid because it will have a positive impact on the region if it succeeds.

“I want to inform the public that bids are awarded on plans not what exists. We have the confidence that by 2027 the necessary structures will be in place. This bid is for all of us. Every Ugandan should support because Government has made the commitment to do massive investments in infrastructure. When Uganda hosted CHOGM in 2007 there were benefits that came along including the hotel industry. We believe hosting AFCON will have a lasting impact on this region,” he added.

Sudan was the last East African Member Association to host the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in 1970.

CAF Champions League | Preliminary Round

• Jwaneng Galaxy vs Vipers SC

Uganda Premier League side Vipers SC are set to face Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy FC in the first preliminary round of the CAF Champions League.

The development was reached in the draws that were held in Cairo, Egypt on Tuesday afternoon.

Vipers will be on the road to play Jwaneng in the first round which is set to be played between August 18 to 25.

The second leg between the two sides will be played a week later between the 25 to 27 of August.

The aggregate winner between the two sides will later go to the second round where they will play either Comoros’s Djabal or Orlando Pirates from South Africa.

The winner in the second round’s duel will earn a ticket into the CAF Champions League group stages.

Uganda Premier League side Vipers SC has unveiled versatile Patrick Mbowa as their sixth signing.

The central defender cum holding midfielder has signed a two-year employment contract that will keep him at St Mary’s Stadium, Kitende until 2025.

The development was brought to the public via the club’s official website on Tuesday, July 25.

“Vipers Sports Club have wrapped the signing of central defender Patrick Paul Mbowa on a two-year contract,” a statement partly reads.

Mbowa is a lethal addition to the Kitende-based side, he can freely play as a defender as well as a holding midfielder which provides options to the club’s technical side.

In the middle park, he will face competition from Miguel Nzau Lutumba, Marvin Joseph Youngman, Siraje Sentamu and Luiz Otavio Santos de Araujo.

The player joins Vipers after spending his last four seasons at the Tax Collector’s camp, a side he joined after a stint with now-defunct Victoria University.

He becomes the sixth signing after the arrival of Giancarlo Lopez Rodriguez, Luiz Otavio, Richard Matovu, David Bagoole and Grant Matsiko.

A brief about Mbowa

Name: Patrick Paul Mbowa

DOB: November 15, 1995

Age: 27

Position: Defender, Holding Midfielder

It’s no longer a secret that Asaph Mwebaze was sacked from Bright Stars following a verbal communication from the management.

However, the gaffer is unfazed by the development revealing he is not moved by the development of him losing his job at Bright Stars.

“I am not surprised because football hardly surprises me anymore,” Mwebaze told NBS Sport.

“I was told to let go of my responsibilities at the club. Of course, I am waiting for an official letter because when you are appointed you are given one, so when you are dismissed, you are probably given another,” he added.

Before the start of the just-concluded season, Bright Stars unveiled Mwebaze as head coach after signing a three-year employment contract.

However, the most recent development suggests that after a year of marriage, the two parties are no longer together.

“This came as a later stage of the process. Of course, I used to see the signs. Like you try to talk to someone but hardly see them respond. Every club has a target and I think I hardly suit where they want to go.”

“This comes after I had prepared a preseason program that was to run for six weeks. I had engaged some players to come for trials and yes I was planning for next season but now I have to put everything on hold.”

“I was told to let go in a verbal communication with the club chairman (Grace Kwizera) of the club,” he continues to narrate.

The news was welcomed differently by the football community, with the majority of people questioning whether it was smart of Bright Stars to let go of Mwebaze.

After struggling to avoid relegation in the 2021/22 campaign, Mwebaze led the team to a ninth-place finish with nine wins, eight ties, and 11 defeats for a total of 35 points.

Knowing who will succeed Mwebaze as head coach of the Bright Stars is yet in the future.

According to several media reports, Arua Hill Sports Club intends to move.

The Arua City-based team intends to relocate so that they can begin hosting its games at Midigo Primary School.

According to Pulse Sports, Arua Hill SC has already asked the league’s administrators for permission to make the transition and is just waiting for confirmation.

After being vandalized, Barifa Stadium, the old home of Arua Hill, no longer satisfies Uganda Premier League standards, necessitating change.

The Greenlight Stadium the home of Onduparaka FC was the Kongolo’s initial choice, although negotiations between the two parties barely ever resulted in anything positive.

Arua Hill was one of the 15 clubs that barely complied with the UPL secretariat’s requirements in order to be given a ticket to participate in the 2023/24 season.

Before the start of the upcoming season, there will be a number of changes at Arua Hill to be witnessed.

With 44 points, Arua Hill finished fourth on the log the previous year. This came about after accumulating 13 victories, five draws, and 10 defeats.

Uganda Premier League side URA Football Club has introduced Denis Otim as their seventh acquisition.

Otim joins the Tax Collectors as a free agent having played out his contract with Express Football Club, a team he joined in 2020.

He expressed his excitement for the new challenge and indicated that the competition will improve him in his first interview with the URA media team.

“It’s a new challenge for me as I come at yet another club where there is a competition which I know will push me,” Otim said as quoted by the club media.

“I want to help the club win a trophy in my first season because I am a winner and I want to keep many clean sheets,” he added.

Before joining the Red Eagles, Otim played for Nyamityobora and Mbarara FC.

He follows Denis Luzige Kisiriko, John Innocent Kisolo, Amis Bwangani, Godfrey Sekibengo, Moses Aliro, and Ibrahim Wammanah among the new faces at URA FC.

The 2023 MTN Tooro Masaza Cup has reached an exhilarating stage as three counties secured their spots in the semifinals with the other pending confirmation.

In the Group C matches played on Sunday at Karugutu Primary School Playground, it was intense battles all round in a bid to secure a spot in the semifinals.

In the first game, Burahya clashed with Bunyangabu with the former coming out victorious with a 1-0 scoreline.

The match between Ntoroko and Bunyangabu ended in a goalless draw while Ntoroko and Burahya played out a fierce 1-1 draw.

The four points Burahya earned on the day secured their place in the semifinals set to take place on Friday, July 28.

In the first semifinal match, Mwenge North will take on Mwenge South and in the second semifinal, Burahya will likely meet Kyaka (whose qualification is pending petition).

SC Villa’s former Captain Gavin Kizito is likely to rejoin the club after his contract with Egyptian side Al-Ittihad Club of Alexandria was terminated.

The centre-back exited the outfit following a club decision to boot him out of the set-up.

“The Board of Directors of Al-Ittihad Club of Alexandria completed the procedures for termination and termination of the contract with the Ugandan player Gavin Kizito,” a statement on the club website read confirming the termination.

“Kizito joined the ranks of the leader of the gap at the beginning of this season, and following the technical vision of the technical staff led by the Serbian Zoran, the contract with the player was terminated by mutual consent.”

According to Kawowo.com, Kizito could be a direct replacement for Gift Fred who left for Young Africans.

FUFA Drum 2023

Sunday, July 23, 2023

• Bunyoro Province 1-1 Tooro Province

Bunyoro Province and Tooro Province shared spoils in a 1-1 stalemate in the FUFA Drum 2023 at Kigaaya playground in Hoima on Sunday.

It was another busy evening of football in Hoima as Bunyoro and Tooro tussled out in a Group B affair of the continuing championship.

The game started on a slow pace as both sides struggled to find rhythm in the hugely attended affair played in the mighty land of oil.

In the 16th minute, Henry Musisi broke the deadlock with a composed finish to place the hosts in the driving seat.

Tooro Province threw several bodies upfront in search of a leveller but their sweat and anxiousness were put to waste as the referee sent both sides to the dressing room as they were a goal down.

In the second half, both sides staged a thrilling show as the game was graced to a great pace that kept fans on the edges of their sides anxious to witness a change on the scoreboard.

In the 71st minute, it was a point of relief as Tooro finally found the much-awaited equalizer through Patrick Musinguzi.

Group B is led by Lango with six points, while Kigezi and Kampala sit bottom since they have not yet collected a point.