In 2006 in Munich Germany at the FIFA Congress, it was reported that 99.8% of the 250 million registered football players in world were amateur. FIFA realized that these statistics were a huge detriment to international football where the gap between the top and bottom would widen. FIFA football development and financials concept is built on football competitions such as Spain vs. Djibouti going either way. The FIFA Congress created the 2006 Munich Task Force and required the FIFA Executive Committee to draw Club Licensing Regulations that would be adopted through the Confederations (CAF) down to the Member Association (FUFA).
FIFA has since drawn the FIFA Club Licensing Regulations and has also drawn an implementation agenda for the confederations and member associations. FIFA further went ahead with the Win-in-Africa-with-Africa with education of club owners mounted in all African Countries by June 2010 to coincide with the World Cup in Africa. In Uganda it gave birth to the Jinja Declaration and consequently the USL. Whereas Uganda opted for the Engilish Premier League Model of a company Limited to run the elite league, Zambia and Tanzania went for the Bundesliga Model where their leagues are run by the federations. FUFA had to change its statutes, create and appoint a VP from USL and Create a Licensing regime (Bodies and rules). FUFA has not only fulfilled its obligations of the declaration but went ahead to wipe off a staggering 70,000,000 UGX that the clubs owed referees before handing over.
FUFA created the Club Licensing regulations and appointed the FUFA Licensing Board that comprised, Bainamani Bernard as Chairman, Magogo Moses as Secretary, Tomusange Ali, Kabugo Sam and Balenzi Fred as Members. This committee, upon the request of Mr. Kavuma Kabenge, adopted Mr. Paul Kabaikaramu and Richard Omongole. The regulations that were decimated in scores for the various standards marked out of 100% found so many clubs wanting in the professional requirements many of which did not require money but organizational abilities. The regulations emphasize the concept that for a club to be licensed to play in a competition should not depend on sporting ability only but the areas of Finance, Infrastructure, Administration and personnel, Sporting and Legal Structure.
Two incidents have inspired me to write this article;
The first is that Daily Monitor ran an article where the author wondered if FUFA is for football by name and objectives, “why would they refuse to register Simba FC for CAF Club Competitions because a 10,000USD fee not in CAF regulations.” On top it looked like a genuine concern but deep inside was underlying the option of either the author not knowing how modern football is managed or a new recruit to the clan of spin doctors. Circulars are part of regulations in football either to clarify or amend the content of the printed law books and financial inability is a new criterion that CAF has in writing asked FUFA to consider before registration of clubs in CAF Club Competitions. In any case, a journalist who has been following Ugandan Clubs in CAF Club Competitions is aware of Referees and Commissioners abandoned in hotels, failure to play return legs, running away with gate collections without declaration to CAF, control of crowds, players accruing more than 4 yellow cards in a game and all these are matters that have accrued fines from CAF. CAF does not pass on these fines to the Clubs but to FUFA and some of these football crimes are committed out of negligence and could have been avoided
The second is the circular from USL, creating a club licensing body and their own rules. I am going to continue to ask whether the learned friends at USL ever understand the basic football rules. Association Football is a fully regulated discipline and unlike Music or Drama or, with due respect, every activity in football has governing parameters. The FIFA Club Licensing regulations are very clear on the objectives, procedure and the entire responsibility is put upon FUFA. When Mr. Kabenge came back from Germany, the new terminology was licensing. He either does not know how this is regulated or he is up to his life dream of antagonizing FUFA, undermine authority, reduce or remove legitimacy of the authority and collapse a structure because he is aware that by the civil route of elections, he can never win any election anywhere because of his modus operandi. He would also like to create an empire of the powers to admit and dismiss from the league clearly reserved for FUFA as a special shareholder in the USL Memorandum and Articles of Association as the case has been with Hoima and CRO. The FIFA Regulations indicate that should FUFA at its discretion desire to delegate the league to do licensing, the CAF executive Committee must approve the FUFA request to delegate authority to the USL. As we speak the USL is creating a Licensing Body that the leadership can selfishly manipulate irrespective of what FUFA is mandated or has already done.
The people in leadership and mass media communication position should read and get more knowledgeable or be clear of underhand methods if we are going to professionalize the league
(About the Author: Magogo is the Vice president of FUFA in charge of Administration and a FIFA certified Administration Instructor. Besides Football, he is a professional Engineer working with African Development Bank in Kampala City. He will be posting a weekly Topical Opinion of matters of subject every Friday)
