The Emmanuel Ajo saga isn’t done! The CEO of National Enterprise Corporation Football Club (NEC FC) Jonathan Okorotum, has asserted that midfielder Emmanuel Ajo is their player, directly contradicting claims made by Uganda Premier League champions, SC Villa.
While appearing on NBS Sport’s “Inside Sport” program on the evening of Monday, July 1st, Okorotum bluntly stated that NEC signed Emmanuel Ajo from Busoga United, and are now arranging paperwork to finish the signing.
The CEO was unequivocal in his statement, saying, “I want to put this clear. We signed Ajo (Emmanuel) and he is our player. So I want to assure the public that we signed him and very soon we’re going to make it official.”
When asked whether he’s aware that SC Villa reportedly also signed the same player Okorotum replied, “I’ve not heard any club and I’m not aware. I’m even arranging the paperwork to go and finish the signing.”
There were media reports that Emmanuel Ajo was yesterday (Monday, July 1st) summoned by FUFA about the saga. When asked whether he is aware of the summons, Okorotum Jonathan, the man who runs the day-to-day activities of NEC said;
“What I can tell you is that the player was even at our office today. He actually came to know (about the FUFA summons) when the training was going to start. I had not heard anything about the summons yet. I was even shocked to hear about them.”
He then went on to categorically state that as a club, they don’t have any player that has signed for two clubs.
“We haven’t encountered any challenges where a player signs for Club A and Club B,” he emphasised.
Adding further weight to NEC’s claim, Busoga United owner, Dinah Nyago, during the same show, confirmed that as a club, they sold Emmanuel Ajo to NEC and not SC Villa.
“I can 100% confirm that Emmanuel Ajo is a NEC player,” Nyago asserted, dismissing reports that Ajo had signed for the reigning league champions.
The assertions come after SC Villa CEO, Eng William Nkemba, had on Saturday stated during an interview that Ajo was their player.
“The Club (SC Villa) using the official handles, announced that Emmanuel Ajo is our player because we signed him, and signed him through the right means,” Nkemba said. “He is going to be part of us next season.” He added
His sentiments were re-echoing what the club PRO Asan Kasingye posted on his official X platform on Wednesday last week, where he stated, “The club has completed the signing of Emmanuel Ajo from Busoga United FC with the approval of FUFA.”
The conflicting statements from the two clubs have created a murky situation, with the player’s registration and future hanging in the balance.
Both NEC and SC Villa have expressed confidence in their respective positions, setting the stage for a potential dispute that requires intervention from FUFA, who have been tight-lipped about the issue.
