KCCA FC’s Chief Government Officer (CEO), Anisha Muhoozi, has strongly criticized the FUFA Appeals Committee after the dismissal of the membership’s attraction in opposition to a disciplinary ruling.
The controversy centres on the membership’s use of an ineligible participant, Gavin Kizito, of their Uganda Premier League (UPL) match in opposition to Mbarara Metropolis on January 7, 2025.
The FUFA Disciplinary Panel had initially discovered KCCA responsible of fielding Kizito, who was mentioned to have accrued an extreme variety of yellow playing cards.
Regardless of KCCA’s attraction, the Appeals Committee upheld the unique determination, sustaining that the membership had violated the league’s eligibility guidelines.
KCCA’s protection was constructed on the declare that Kizito had not acquired the yellow card he was mentioned to have accrued within the earlier match in opposition to NEC, because the official referee’s report didn’t point out this.
The membership additionally emphasised that they’d sought clarification from the Uganda Premier League (UPL) earlier than fielding the participant.
In response to Muhoozi, UPL League Supervisor Paul Kabaikaramu confirmed that Kizito had solely acquired two yellow playing cards, that means he was eligible to play within the match in opposition to Mbarara Metropolis.
Nonetheless, Mbarara Metropolis petitioned in opposition to KCCA’s use of Kizito, arguing that the participant’s eligibility was in query. FUFA dominated in opposition to KCCA, resulting in the lack of factors for the Kampala-based membership.
Muhoozi expressed her frustration with the Appeals Committee’s determination, significantly their assertion that KCCA ought to have consulted the FUFA Competitions Division immediately reasonably than counting on the UPL.
FUFA’s laws clearly state that the official central registry of cautions, send-offs, fines, and sanctions is maintained by the FUFA Competitions Division.
On this case, Article 43(12)c of FUFA’s laws stipulates that the real-time data at FUFA’s Competitions Division take priority over some other data for all competitions sanctioned by FUFA.
The Appeals Committee dominated that KCCA ought to have sought clarification immediately from FUFA, not the UPL, because the governing physique for the competitors. Muhoozi strongly disagreed with this stance, questioning the logical foundation of the ruling.
“And their protection is that KCCA didn’t seek the advice of FUFA Competitions Division. I don’t know whether or not the Appeals Committee is aware of the way in which soccer is run on this nation as a result of it’s frequent information that the FUFA Competitions Committee delegated this function to the Uganda Premier League,” Muhoozi mentioned, implying that the choice was inconsistent with the way in which soccer operations are sometimes managed in Uganda.
The CEO went on to criticize FUFA’s ruling, arguing that the logic behind the choice was flawed.
“FUFA denying that KCCA FC didn’t seek the advice of them however reasonably consulted UPL, which isn’t FUFA, defeats primary reasoning,” she mentioned. Muhoozi’s remarks emphasised her perception that the ruling went in opposition to the essential rules of soccer administration.
Moreover, Muhoozi identified that FUFA’s stance appeared contradictory.
“FUFA flaunting their very own guidelines and guiding that membership data are supreme over their registry is opposite to their rulebook. It’s ridiculous,” she added, underscoring her perception that the Appeals Committee’s determination went in opposition to FUFA’s personal tips.
On account of this determination, KCCA will lose the three factors they gained from their 2-0 victory over Mbarara Metropolis.
This might have important implications on their league standing, particularly because the season progresses and each level turns into essential for the membership’s title aspirations.
Given the robust stance taken by their CEO, it’s clear that KCCA will not be glad with the choice and will contemplate additional measures within the coming days.
This dispute has highlighted ongoing pressure between the membership and FUFA, with Muhoozi’s vocal criticism calling consideration to perceived inconsistencies within the software of the laws.
