Uganda gives up on Namboole, Cranes match set for Cameroon

FUFA President Magogo urges government to cancel the contracts of the contractors and supervisors and immediately procure experienced service providers in stadium construction, even if it means being obtained from outside Uganda.

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  The Federation of Uganda’s Football Association (FUFA) has announced that the Uganda Cranes Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match against Algeria, scheduled for June 2023, will be played in Cameroon. This decision comes after FUFA inspected the Mandela National Stadium and confirmed that it is not yet ready to host the qualifiers.

State Minister for Sports Peter Ogwang has now apologised to the country for his earlier assurance to soccer fans that the game would be hosted in Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, which is undergoing major renovations.

“I am pained to announce that Uganda Cranes’ AFCON home qualifier game scheduled for June 2023 will be played in Cameroon for failure to have works at Namboole Stadium completed on time. I take full responsibility and apologize to Ugandans for failing to fulfill my own promise,” Ogwang said.

He however said works remain ongoing and on schedule as per the contract. He assured that “all procurement contracts have been signed but were only delayed in terms of deliveries,” which could go up to mid-May.

𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

Today 25th April, being the deadline for confirmation to CAF, FUFA has opted for Cameroon. We also plan to have 1 international friendly match against Cameroon in the same FIFA window.

This is Namboole shall not be ready… pic.twitter.com/pjRGnlPaWM

— Moses Hassim Magogo (@MosesMagogo) April 25, 2023

This will be the second time this year that Uganda is hosting its home games away from home. The first was their first leg against Tanzania, which was hosted at the Suez Canal Authority Stadium in Egypt.

According a FUFA press statement, the deadline set by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for all federations to submit names of venues to be used for the qualifiers was Tuesday, 25th April 2023. As a result, FUFA had to make a quick decision and chose Cameroon due to the availability of several qualified stadiums in the country. Additionally, Cameroon will have no international fixtures during that break.

Moses Magogo, the President of FUFA, confirmed that the Cameroon Football Association has offered to arrange a friendly match for Uganda Cranes, which can aid in their preparation for the crucial encounter against Algeria.

He was however critical of the works at the Mandela National Stadium.

“Namboole shall not be ready by June as the work is so slow and insensitive to the cries of Ugandans despite MOFPED releasing the necessary funds over one year ago. The contractors (UPDF Engineering Brigade) and the Supervisors (Ministry of Works) do not have the necessary experience and expertise to undertake stadium construction,” he asserted.

Magogo said government  should urgently cancel the contracts of the contractors and supervisors and immediately procure experienced service providers in stadium construction, even if it means being obtained from outside Uganda. “We are likely to have a delayed project, substandard work, and without value for money,” he said.

Uganda Cranes has been homeless since March this year, after St. Mary’s Stadium Kitende, which was Uganda Cranes’ home ground for two years since CAF blacklisted Mandela National Stadium in 2020, also failed to meet the CAF requirements to host the Uganda Cranes’ matches.

In an earlier interview with URN, Decolas Kiiza, the FUFA Deputy CEO-Football, revealed that among the queries raised by inspectors from the Continental Soccer governing body about St. Mary’s stadium, Kitende were issues of safety and security control.

“The other is the stadium setup itself, where the VVIP is. If you are to exit the stadium from the VVIP, you still have to connect to other people. There is no way you say these are VVIPs let me evacuate them without interfering with others,” he added.

For Namboole, the two bodies found the pitch, toilets, pavilion, and dressing rooms at the Mandela Stadium in an appalling state, hence declaring it unfit to host any continental and international match and recommending an overhaul. The government subsequently embarked on the renovation project in February 2023, with the contract given to the UPDF Engineering Brigade.

The contractor first gave priority to the construction of the 4.2km perimeter wall around the stadium and expected the entire renovation to be completed by June 2023.

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