Author: Moses Mugalu

After narrowly missing out on the StarTimes Uganda Premier League title last season, KCCA FC and SC Villa (who lost to Vipers SC on goal difference) have stepped preparations for the upcoming season by beefing up their squads. In recent weeks, the two traditional rivals have been busy in the ongoing transfer market, with SC Villa adding three players from different clubs. KCCA, on the other hand, brought in Brazilian Joao Gabriel and promoted three youngsters from its academy team. Striker Abubaker Mayanja, goalkeeper Anthony Emojong and midfielder Alex Yiga were promoted from the City Cubs to the senior KCCA…

Fazila Ikwaput scored the all-important goal in extra-time for the Uganda Crested Cranes to squeeze past Rwanda’s She-Amavubi and book their place in the second round of the 2024 Paris Women’s Olympic football qualifiers on Sunday, July 16. With Ikwaput’s goal the Crested Cranes won the return game1-0 and advanced on a 4-3 aggregate victory following the 3-3 draw in the first leg tie played July 12 at the Kigali Pele stadium. The Crested Cranes will take on Cameroon in the second round of the qualifiers slated for September this year. If the Cranes negotiate past Cameroon, they will then…

Following their 3-3 draw in the first leg game, Uganda’ women national football team, the Crested Cranes take on their Rwandan counterparts, She-Amavubi, in the decisive return leg match of the 2024 Olympic Qualifier on Sunday, July 16 at the Pele Stadium in Kigali. She-Amavubi, who were widely considered the pre-match underdogs, held the Crested Cranes to a 3-3 draw in the first leg game on July 12 at the same venue. The Crested Cranes were the home team in that game after Uganda opted to host the game in Kigali due lack of CAF-approved stadia in the country at…

The national senior football team, The Uganda Cranes, will again face Algeria in another campaign to qualify for a major international tournament. This follows the draws for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in which Uganda was pooled with Algeria, Guinea, Mozambique, Botswana and Somalia in Group G. The qualifiers kick off on November 13, 2023. Currently, The Cranes are due to conclude the qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in which they have played Algeria twice and lost both games (0-2 and 2-1) to the North African giants. The FIFA World Cup Qualifiers draws for the…

Uganda’s Moses Magogo lost to Sudanese Dr Mutasim Gafar in a poll conducted today, July 13 to fill one of the positions on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) executive committee. Currently, Magogo, who is also a legislator for Budiope East in the Ugandan Parliament, is president of FUFA, the local football governing body. In Thursday’s poll, Sudan’s Gafar garnered 34 votes against Magogo’s 20 to win the CAF Exco seat. Gafar will now represent the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) region on the CAF executive committee. The election was conducted at the ongoing 45th CAF…

Pre-match underdogs, Rwanda, held Uganda’s Crested Cranes to a 3-3 draw in the first leg game of the 2024 Olympic women’s qualifier played Wednesday, July 12 in Kigali. The Crested Cranes, who were the home team in this game at the Pele stadium (Uganda opted to host the game in Kigali due lack of CAF-approved stadia in the country at the moment), twice surrendered the lead to Rwanda’s She-Amavubi. Shakirah Nyinagahirwa, Hasifa Nassuna and Fazila Ikwaput scored for the Crested Cranes but Rwanda rallied back through Mukahirwa, Nibagwire Libelle and Usanase Zawadi in the six-goal thriller. It was Zawadi’s 86th…

Uganda’s national women football team, the Crested Cranes, host their Rwandan counterparts, She-Amavubi in the first of the two-legged 2024 Olympic Qualifiers on Wednesday, July 12 at the Pele stadium in Kigali. Speaking ahead of the game, Crested Cranes’ coach Ayub Khalifa Kiyingi said his team is prepared for a ‘comfortable victory’ despite playing at the neutral ground. “The girls feel at home here [in Kigali]; so, Ugandan should expect a comfortable victory for us in tomorrow’s match,” Kiyingi stated during a pre-match media briefing on Tuesday, July 11. The Crested Cranes opted to host their home game in Kigali,…

In a move necessitated by the unavailability of CAF-approved stadiums in Uganda, the local football governing body, FUFA, has decided to host the national women’s football team, the Crested Cranes, in Kigali for their Olympic qualifier against Rwanda. Ahmed Hussein Marsha, the communications director of FUFA, confirmed the decision on Wednesday, stating that the Crested Cranes will face Rwanda’s She Amavubi on July 12 at the Kigali Pele Stadium. With Mandela National Stadium in Namboole and St Mary’s Stadium in Kitende currently undergoing renovation, the choice to play in Kigali aligns with the current situation in Uganda, where suitable stadiums…

The government has set November 30, 2023 as the new deadline for the completion of renovation of Mandela National Stadium, Namboole. Originally, the contractor, UPDF Engineering Brigade, was expected to handover the facility on August 1, 2023. But in a statement issued on Tuesday, July 4, the First Lady, Janet Museveni, who is also the minister of Education and Sports, gave the contractor another three months after checking on the progress on the renovation works on the stadium. Janet Museveni stated: “During my recent visit to the Mandela National Stadium, I had the opportunity to evaluate the progression of the…

Vipers, the StarTimes Uganda Premier League champions, boosted their striking options by signing Brazil striker Giancarlo Lopez Rodriguez. The 33-year-old Brazilian was unveiled at the Kitende-based club on Friday, June 30 after agreeing to a two-year deal. He becomes Vipers’ first signing in the ongoing transfer window. A spokesman for the club said Giancarlo’s experience is expected to come in handy when Vipers for the CAF Champions League, the continent’s elite club competition in which the Venoms had a disastrous campaign last season. Giancarlo will compete for the starting role with Nigerian Abubakar Lawal and the Ugandan trio of Yunus…