The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) is facing mounting backlash over its latest attempt to overhaul the Uganda Premier League (UPL), with critics accusing the federation of dangling a Shs3.4 billion “development fund” to pressure clubs into supporting sweeping reforms.
At a heated consultative meeting on Tuesday, September 2, at Kampala’s Serena Hotel, FUFA once again failed to secure approval for its controversial three-phase league format set to debut in the 2025/26 season.
The standoff has now escalated, with FUFA issuing an ultimatum: clubs must either endorse the reforms by 5:00 PM on Monday, September 8, or risk losing access to the much-hyped fund.
In a statement signed by FUFA CEO Edgar Watson, clubs were told to formally declare their stance in writing, with two starkly contrasting choices:
“There was consensus that each individual club shall choose in writing by 1700hrs on Monday 8 September one of the following options,” the statement read.
The options presented are blunt: embrace the reforms and access the Shs3.4 billion package, or reject them and watch the money get redirected to the FUFA Big League, the country’s second division.
“The competition format in circular 1202 be implemented for the 2025/26 season and the 1st Division (UPL) shall benefit from the 3.4bn Fufa Competitions Development Fund.”
“The competition format stipulated in circular 1202 is not implemented in 2025/26 1st Division (UPL) season and in the alternative, the Competition Reforms be implemented in the 2nd Division League (Fufa Big League) for the next three seasons together with the associated Fufa Competitions Development Funds mentioned above.”
Clubs Cry Foul: “Bribery Tactics”
While FUFA insists its reforms are designed to boost competitiveness and attract commercial investment, UPL executives are openly accusing the federation of strong-arming them with financial incentives.
Vipers SC President Dr. Lawrence Mulindwa, speaking on behalf of a group of club bosses, bluntly questioned the rush to scrap the current system.
“What has the old format done so bad that it must be quashed with immediate effect,” wondered Mulindwa.
The UPL has kept the same league structure for over five decades, with only brief, unsuccessful experiments. Clubs argue that if FUFA genuinely cares about football growth, it should channel the funds into strengthening the existing setup rather than forcing through structural changes.
Trust Issues Run Deep
Several club officials, speaking anonymously, voiced skepticism over FUFA’s promises, pointing to a history of unmet commitments.
“Since they passed a reform to give each UPL club 50 million per season, it has never happened so how do we even trust them on this,” one club president wondered.
“Even the prize money for the premier league and Uganda Cup is never paid on time and some clubs even went down without getting their share,” another lamented.
“For the past seasons, we have always cried for money but the FA has always insisted that it can’t invest in clubs even with money from the government, what has changed now and does it have to be a new format,” another questioned.
FUFA’s Grip on the Purse Strings
Even if approved, the proposed Shs3.4 billion package would not be a direct windfall for clubs. Much of the funding would remain under FUFA’s management, earmarked for areas such as player insurance and bonuses.
This has only deepened suspicion among club owners struggling to cover travel, salaries, and operational expenses.
With the September 8 deadline approaching, resistance within the top flight remains strong. What FUFA had hoped would be a landmark step toward restructuring Ugandan football is now being framed as a “cash-for-compliance” scheme, and the standoff threatens to leave the country’s league reform agenda in limbo.
