There is perhaps a quiet excitement across the football fraternity as the 2025/26 Uganda Premier League (UPL) season enters its match-day four this week.
This follows the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) boss, Moses Magogo, announcing on Saturday, October 18 that the UPL, which, from the start of this season was being played under a new three round format, was being reverted to the old format of home and away, commonly played under across the world.
This followed a stance by football fans that they would not watch any league football for as long as the new league format stayed. However, now that the fans, who largely followed a standoff from Vipers SC, who equally rejected the league format, they have had their sway.
However, what happens from now onwards? By press-time, Fufa were yet to release a circular explaining all the nitty-gritty about the status-quo. For example, some fans were still wondering whether games are going to continue as earlier scheduled, or maybe there was going to be a fresh start?
Tom Damulira, a football commentator said that he sees no reason why the UPL does not just carry on.
“I heard from different sections of the public, that the league should be re-started. But I do not think that is necessary. Fufa has been magnanimous enough to allow us to revert to the old format. That is good enough,” Damulira said.
But in the corridors of some football clubs, the fact that they played three matches, yet did not gross as much money as they had anticipated before the season began, there is an argument about who bears the liability from the losses encountered?
Yet, Damulira said, that in life, you lose some and win some. But as it is, this episode has bruised many egos, which is not good for the game. Instead, a middle ground for reconciliation and reflection, Damulira notes is imperative.
Therefore, rubbing it in even more, can prove disruptive. On the other hand, Magogo in his address, (before travelling to Buyende, where he expects to be nominated this week as Budiope East member of parliament for a second term) noted that they are going to review the dropped format and have more consultations with the stakeholders, to find a way of improving it for the future.
One of the arguments Magogo presented earlier was that the new format would enable players play more games. That was four extra games. Damulira, who agrees that Ugandan players need to play more games, believes that instead of the complex format, which has since been dropped, having a third round in the UPL, where all 16 clubs face each other is worth discussing.
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