Why CAF adjusted Uganda-South Africa kickoff to 4 pm

KAMPALA, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) has announced that Uganda’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match against South Africa will kick off at 4 pm.

A brief statement issued on Thursday by FUFA spokesperson Ahmed Hussein explained that it was the Confederation of African Football (CAF) that set the kickoff time for this group-stage game.

This match will be the first-day game for the Uganda Cranes since CAF and FIFA permitted their return to Mandela National Stadium, also known as Namboole, earlier this year.

Namboole had previously been blacklisted by both FIFA and CAF. However, after meeting CAF’s standards, the Uganda Cranes were allowed to resume playing at their historic home stadium. Since their return, their matches have been held under floodlights.

This will, however, be different when they host South Africa’s Bafana Bafana on November 15, as fans accustomed to arriving for evening games will instead be exiting around the usual arrival time.

Explaining the timing change, FUFA Executive Committee member Rogers Byamukama said CAF directed the kickoff time to align with the other Group K fixture between Congo Brazzaville and South Sudan to avoid any potential foul play. FUFA, therefore, had no choice but to comply with CAF’s directive.

Both the Uganda-South Africa match and the Congo Brazzaville-South Sudan fixture are regarded as crucial for qualification, despite being the penultimate games in the group.

Currently, two teams—Uganda and South Africa—are on the verge of qualifying for AFCON, while Congo Brazzaville hopes to keep their slim chances alive. The results of each fixture are thus highly impactful for the other.

Uganda currently leads Group K with 10 points, South Africa follows with eight points, Congo Brazzaville sits with four points, and South Sudan remains without a point.

Uganda needs just one more point to secure their place in AFCON. South Sudan, having lost all four of their group matches, is officially out of contention.

A draw in the Uganda-South Africa game would push Uganda to 11 points, making it impossible for a third team to catch up, thereby sealing their qualification.

Even if Uganda loses, their qualification could still be confirmed if Congo Brazzaville fails to defeat South Sudan on the same day. A loss or draw for Congo would keep them from surpassing Uganda’s 10 points, which currently marks the threshold for qualification in Group K.

CAF’s rationale is that scheduling the games simultaneously prevents any team from gaining an unfair advantage by knowing the result of the other match. This arrangement ensures that teams must play to win rather than adjust their strategies based on the outcome of the other fixture.

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