Kawempe Muslim SS clinched the 2023 TICAD CUP 2023 Women’s Football Tournament, overcoming Jinja SS in th final on Sunday at FUFA Technical Centre, Njeru.
The second edition of the tournament aimed at empowering women through sports saw Kawempe Muslim defeat Jinja SS 5-4 on penalties after normal time ended goalless.
Wakiso Hill SS came third while Kings of Kings, the inaugural edition winners settled for fourth place.
New entrants Rwamwanja came fifth while Pagirinya finished in sixth place.
FUFA Deputy CEO-Football was thankful to the tournament organizers for staging the tournament, indicating this is in line with FUFA’s strategy of taking the game to every homestead.
‘As FUFA, we are exceedingly happy to have this tournament for the second year. The tournament helps to bridge the gap between host communities with refugee settlements and one of our strategies is taking football to every homestead.’ He said.
Margaret Kubingi, the Uganda Women Football Association (UWFA) Chairperson who graced the closing ceremony was impressed with the level of competition.
“The performance from every team was excellent. There is definitely talent from refugee settlements and I was impressed with teams like Pagirinya and Rwamwanja. Having them compete against established teams like Kawempe Muslim gives them a good test and helps them improve.’ She indicated.
JApan International Corporation Agency (JICA) Country Representative Fukuhara Ichiro stated that the tournament has helped them reach out to communities through sports.
“As JICA, we do a lot of projects with communities and definitely this tournament has been a success for the two years it has been held. We promise to keep this project going and hope it will be bigger next year.’
JICA, TICAD, Soltilo Bright Stars FC, UNHCR, UN Women and FUFA made a joint effort to have the tournament held.
Besides action on the pitch, the tournament organizers took time and had life skill sessions with the players covering aspects like menstrual health and Gender Based Violence among others.
Final Placements
Winners – Kawempe Muslim SS
Second Place – Jinja SS
Third Place – Wakiso Hill SS
Fourth Place – King of Kings SS
Fifth Place – Rwamwanja
Sixth Place – Pagirinya
