Category: AGM

St. Lawrence University’s Baker Lukooya and compatriot Rica Byaruhanga have been suspended from the game of beach soccer for three solid weeks because of misconduct.

They were found in breach of Article 31(2) of the FUFA competitions rules and regulations together with Andrew Talenga, the chairman of Jinja Lions BSC, who has also been suspended from participating in all beach soccer activities for a period equal to that of the players.

The two players will not return to action until May 6th, 2023, whilst Talenga will also be allowed to serve the game again only after the collapse of the said period of his punishment.

Disciplinary proceedings were opened against the trio pursuant to reports and video recordings from the FUFA beach soccer league match between St. Lawrence and Jinja Lions that was played on April 2, 2023 at FUFA technical centre in Njeru. The game ended with both sides locked at 8-8.

The competitions disciplinary panel (CDP) to its satisfaction found out that Lukooya and Byaruhanga conducted themselves in a violent manner before Talenga engaged in a fight with the duo which brought the match to a stand still for a few minutes contrary to the rules and regulations of the competition put in place by FUFA.

Article 31(2) states that;

“A participant shall at all times act in the best interest of the game and shall not act in any manner which is improper or brings the game into disrepute or use any one, or a combination of violent conduct, serious foul play, threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting words or behavior. Any participant in breach of this section, shall be charged and if found in breach shall be liable for disciplinary actions of a suspension or a ban not exceeding fifteen competition matches or specified period with or without a fine depending on the discretion of the CDP, TOC or appropriate judicial body.”

The sanctions effectively began on April 16, and all the parties involved have been told to serve the punishment as directed or else the CDP shall be constrained to take stronger disciplinary measures against them.

As we come to the tip of the first round of the FUFA beach soccer league, two time champions MUBS will have to feature in three fixtures this Sunday to catch up with the rest of the teams in terms of games played.

In their quest to cement a fine position heading into the last half of the season, they will have to negotiate past Buganda Royal and Jinja Lions hurdles.

None of the two seem to be an easy task however.

Buganda Royal have won their past three league contests and come into this game targeting to break into the top four for the first time this season.

Both sides count 12 points but MUBS sit fourth and are advantaged by their superior goal difference of 10, three better of their rivals who lie in the fifth position on the table.

Following this clash, it will be another daunting task against Jinja Lions for MUBS before they close the day with MS Sand Lions at FUFA technical centre beach soccer arena.

The Sand Kings poses the division’s leading goal scorer – Nicholas Mwere in their ranks, they are arguably one of the most inform teams and they come into this battle on the back of an impressive eight all draw against defending champions St. Lawrence.

Out of their seven games played, the Jinja city based side have won five and drawn one to collect 16 points, nine behind the league leaders and they are determined to leap into the second spot currently occupied by Mutoola BSC, making their face off with MUBS a potential cracker of a game.

Jinja Lions will also have another chance to put points on the board when they meet MS Sand Lions in their second game at 4pm.

Kiringente BSC put up a hard fighting show in their last outing and they may look unstoppable against Wolves who are yet to record maximum points this term.

Second placed Mutoola will also be in action against Kampala Junior Team (KJT) while MS Sand Lions will also have to play Grace Church to complete the round.

Here are the full fixtures:Current table standings

Standout performers in the FUFA men and women’s beach soccer leagues are to be recognized from this time forward by UBSA technical officials.

The technical observers at each beach soccer league game will decide who deserves the player of the match after full-time in recognition of their star performances.

Kiringente’s Derrick Ssekulima was the first to be named the player of the match  in the current FUFA beach soccer league campaign for his heroic showings in his sides’ stunning 7-4 win over Mutoola.

With his team 4-1 down, Ssekulima rose to the occasion – scoring four goals as they came from behind to seal the famous win.

Nicholas Mwere was also named player of the match when the initiative was started in the previous outing.

The Jinja Lions player showed the world what he is capable of when he scored all the eight goals in the Sand Kings’ eight all draw with St. Lawrence University.

End of the first round of the FUFA beach soccer league is near the corner with seven matches marking its end this Sunday April 16, 2023 at FUFA technical centre.

The FUFA beach soccer league always provides thrilling games characterized by exciting goals, however, the eighth outing served us a compulsive viewing in the two games played at FUFA technical centre beach soccer arena on Sunday.

Both matches produced truly jaw dropping results, with Kiringente – sitting eighth before the clash comfortably beating title challengers Mutoola, while defending champions St. Lawrence required Brian Nkuubi’s magic to jump out of Jinja Lions’ claws.

Kiringente 7-4 Mutoola BSC

Kiringente BSC won their third game this season with a stunning 7-4 victory over Mutoola.

Mutoola, nicknamed the Sand Giants, drew the first blood but Brian Bisaso’s men picked up themselves to have the affair at 2-2 at the break, before they fell behind again in the second period.

However, Kiringente flexed their muscle in the last twelve minutes with five goals to one to record a 7-4 win.

Derrick Ssekulima was the hero for Kiringente with four goals, and because of his awesome performance, he was named the man of the match.

Deo Sengendo, Marvin Mugerwa and Charles Kasozi added a goal each to seal the victory for their side.

Mutoola’s goals came through Faizal Sekitti and Paul Nsenge who scored a brace individually but their goals were not enough to stop the Sand Giants from falling to their second defeat of the campaign.

Kiringente moved to nine points, same as KJT, MS Sand Lions and Buganda Royal while Mutoola stayed in the third place with 18 points.

St. Lawrence 8-8 Jinja Lions

The breathless clash at FUFA technical centre ended with St. Lawrence and Jinja Lions sharing 16 goals in the 8-8 draw that kept the sides in the first and second positions respectively on the table.

It was one of the most intense and thrilling game ever to be played in the league for as long as one can remember.

The game swung from side to side, and each team looked like winning it.

St. Lawrence took a 4-1 advantage in the first period, only for the Sand Kings to turn the tables with an electrifying fight back that resulted in Nicholas Mwere scoring eight goals.

Before his rousing performance, Baker Lukooya and Ronald Magwali stared with a brace each in the opening twelve minutes, while Brian Nkuubi and Allan Katwe also scored as the Saints remained in control but with a slim 6-5 lead before the second break.

By this moment, Mwere had scored five goals spread across the two periods.

His poaching instincts manifested again in the last twelve minutes of play when he dispatched more three strikes past Ronald Mutebi in the opponent’s goal as Jinja Lions assumed the lead for the first time in the game.

With their unbeaten run hanging by a thread, St. Lawrence assigned Nkuubi the rescue mission, and in the last 22 seconds, the move paid off as he capitalized on defensive frailties to score two more goals to complete his hat-trick and force a draw.

Teams will rest during the Easter festivals and the league action will return on Sunday April 16, 2023.

Coach Salim Jamal Muwonge’s eight year spell in charge of the Sand Cranes has come to an end following a new development from the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA).

FUFA revealed on Thursday that all the coaching positions of its national teams, except for the Uganda Cranes, were vacant – meaning the Sand Cranes, who form part of FUFA’s ten national teams, is also without a coach.

Muwonge and his assistant Peter Sseguya will have to re-apply if they need their jobs back.

During a press briefing held at FUFA complex, FUFA president Eng. Moses Magogo called upon the suitable Ugandans to apply for the jobs when the process is opened up.

“Other than the senior national team – that is the Uganda Cranes and the U-23 category, the rest of the positions are declared vacant,” he said.

“Therefore, we call upon competent Ugandans and non-Ugandans to apply for those vacancies.”

Salim Muwonge’s tenure as the head coach of the national beach soccer team began in 2015, and he had recorded fifteen wins, two draws and sixteen losses since.

His spell was also highlighted by the fourth and fifth place finish in the Africa Beach Soccer Cup of Nations 2020 and 2022 respectively, although he had to work together with technical expert Angelo Schirinzi who was appointed on a short term basis to boost the technical area ahead of the 2022 championship in Mozambique.

Uganda is currently 30th in the world out of the 101 ranked beach soccer playing nations.

 

Grace Church has been fined a sum of five hundred thousand shillings (500,000/=) by FUFA for failing to raise a minimum number of players required for a match to continue.

It has been established that on march 12, 2023, Grace Church fielded three players in a FUFA beach soccer league game against Jinja Lions BSC at FUFA technical centre beach soccer arena in Njeru.

The third player got injured leaving the team with only two players leading to the abandonment of the match.

FUFA’s Competitions Disciplinary Panel has ordered the team to pay the fine by March 30, 2023 to avoid further and stronger sanctions against the club.

It also said Grace Church lost the said match by forfeiture.

Below is the full statement as released by CDP on Thursday.

The CDP received a complaint arising from Match No. 36 of the 2023 Uganda Beach Soccer League Grace Church v Jinja Lions scheduled for the 12th of March 2023.

According to the match report, Grace Church started the match with three players.

The third player got injured leaving the team with only two players leading to the abandonment of the match.

Considerations of the Competitions Disciplinary Panel

1. First, the CDP considered the relevant Competition Rules and Regulations which provide that when the number of players of a team in a Competition match that are able to continue with play is less than the minimum because of injuries and other reasons yet substitutions have been exhausted or are not available causing match officials to terminate the match, that club shall be deemed to have lost the match by forfeiture or by the standing result of the match (whichever is sportingly better) to the opposing team unless a prudent justification can be determined by the judicial body.

2. The CDP upon analysis of the match report and evidence available established that Match No. 36 Grace Church V Jinja Lions on 12th March 2023 was abandoned in the first period as a result of Grace Church’s failure to raise the minimum number of players required for the match to proceed.

3. The CDP recalled as earlier indicated that as a consequence, failure to raise the minimum number of players for a match leading to its abandonment will result into loss of the match by forfeiture for the team that failed to raise the team.

Decision of the Competitions Disciplinary Panel

1. As a consequence of the above conclusions, Grace Church hereby loses the said match by forfeiture.

2. Grace Church is further sanctioned with a fine of UGX 500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand) to be paid to FUFA Account Number NO.7210000969 ECO BANK NDEEBA BRANCH within two weeks from the receipt of this decision (by 30th March, 2023).

3. The Club is ordered to adhere to this decision failure of which the CDP shall be constrained to take stronger disciplinary sanctions against the club.

Grace Church is among the sides yet to win a game this season, sitting ninth on table with one point after six matches.

Buganda Royal Institute’s coach Tony Ssebagala and player Paul Lule have been slapped with a three match ban each by the Competitions Disciplinary Panel (CDP) for misconduct.

 

Coach Ssebagala received the three match touchline ban today for inciting his players to act against the referees after their 7-4 loss to Mutoola BSC last Sunday.

“Upon analysis of the relevant facts as well as analysis of the match report, the CDP established that Mr. Ssebagala Tony indeed incited players of Buganda Royal against the referee. For his actions he was given a red card by the referee,” an excerpt from the CDP’s ruling read in part.

“Mr. Ssebagala Tony as one of the coaches on the team has an example to set to his own players and staff and to the general spectators,” the panel further noted.

“Having taken into consideration all the above, Mr. Ssebagala Tony is sanctioned with an additional one match suspension on top of the suspension arising from the red card received,” the CDP ruled.

As for Paul Lule, the experienced player was sanctioned for using abusive language towards the referee.

Thirty-two (32) goals were scored across four games while there were also two red cards during the sixth outing of the FUFA beach soccer league over the weekend at FUFA technical centre beach soccer arena in Njeru.

MUBS, St. Lawrence and Mutoola picked up wins as Buganda Royal hit another low key.

Wolves 3-8 St. Lawrence

 

St. Lawrence University maintained their spot at the top of the table with an 8-3 win against Wolves in which Baker Lukooya scored four goals.

The defending champions began the outing while in charge of the standings and this victory helped them to stretch their winning run to six in as many games this season.

Lukooya, who is now at 13 goals for the season, scored two in the first period, he was once more on the score sheet in the second for his third goal before he made it four for himself in the third period.

 

Sulaiman Ochero joined the scoring party with a brace for Davis Nnono’s flawless side before Jonathan Kikonyogo and Martin Kikambi put their heads up with a goal each to seal the win for their team.

Baptist Male, Albert Olwenyi and Julius Ssentamu showed up for Wolves who are yet to win a game so far with a goal apiece. However, their efforts turned out to be just consolations.

With six games played, St. Lawrence have 18 points, three ahead of the second placed Jinja Lions BSC.

Mutoola BSC 7 – 4 Buganda Royal

Mutoola BSC overcame Buganda Royal 7-4 to remain in a mouth and nose distance with Jinja Lions.

Sharif Apuuli struck a hat trick while Simon Peter Kijjo and Paul Nsenge scored a brace individually as Mutoola beat Buganda Royal who also had their coach Tony Ssebagala and talisman Paul Lule red carded after the game had ended for unsporting behavior.

It is now four losses for Ssebagala’s men in five matches. Hassan Luboyera scored twice, with Paul Kato and Sharif Lubega also adding a goal each as they nosedived again on Sunday.

Kiringente BSC 3 – 6 MUBS

 

MUBS renaissance continued as they registered their fourth victory on the trot.

Braces from Swaibu Kakwaya and Maxwell Okello, and a goal each from Deo Ssenyonga and Douglas Muganga ensured MUBS defeated Kiringente 6-3 at FUFA technical centre beach soccer arena.

Junior Kagezi also grabbed a brace, while Hamza Ssenoga also had a goal for Kiringente but their efforts were not enough to turn the game into their favor.

The match between Grace Church and Jinja Lions was abandoned because the former couldn’t raise enough players to continue with the game after one of their three players present for the game was injured in the first minute of the first period.

Before the game was stopped, Jinja Lions was already 1-0 up courtesy of Nicholas Mwere’s early strike and the competitions committee has since awarded the Sand Kings with three goals and three points.

The league will be played again on March 26, 2023 at FUFA technical centre with fixtures to be communicated in the due course

Full results:

Grace Church 0-1 Jinja Lions (Abandoned)

Wolves 3-8 St.Lawrence

Mutoola BSC 7-4 Buganda Royal

Kiringente BSC 3-6 MUBS

Four local beach soccer referees have received their international Fifa badges, enabling them to officiate in international matches for the year 2023.

 

The list of referees who were presented with the FIFA badges during a presentation function at FUFA complex in Mengo on Friday are; Ivan Kintu Bayige, Muhammad Ssenteza, Kennedy Bazirio Kawagga and Joel Chote Munyendoh.

Bayige and Ssenteza have been international since 2015, Kawagga received his first FIFA listing in 2019 while Munyendoh received his first FIFA badge in 2022.

While speaking to the referees, FUFA president Hon. Moses Magogo re-emphasized the issues of integrity, fitness and performance.

 

It seems like the perennial title contenders MUBS and St. Lawrence have picked up their winning rhythm as the FUFA beach soccer league continued over the weekend at Mutoola resort beach in Mukono. They both registered statement wins to send a warning to their rivals.

The league action provided its fair share of excitement as the teams put-up eye-catching performances on Sunday.

St. Lawrence maintained their perfect start to the season, showing no sign of declining in form and showing charisma in games against Grace Church and Kiringente to accumulate 15 points and move to the top of table after five matches.

Grace Church 4-7 St. Lawrence

 

The defending champions earned their first win of the day against Grace Church.

They struck the first blow through Sulaiman Ochero before Baker Lukooya doubled their advantage.

But Joshua Lubwama scored at the wrong end in the second period to reduce the margin for Grace Church who got a second when Roger Ayiko swept in the ball immediately after Lukooya had stretched St. Lawrence’s lead.

Brian Nkuubi appeared in the third period with a hat trick to relieve his side from pressure while Lukooya also completed his hat trick. Grace Church scored two more goals later through Steven Kitumba and Babu Mulani but it was already game over for them.

Kiringente BSC 1- 4 St. Lawrence

For the first time after a long while, St. Lawrence were seen uncomfortable on the pitch at the beginning of this game.

They looked nervous after Marvin Mugerwa’s opener for Kiringente but they re-organized, took control of the game and produced four goals – coming from Joshua Lubwama (2), Jonathan Kikonyogo and Baker Lukooya to walk away with all the three points.

MUBS 6-1 Wolves

MUBS have made their loss to Mutoola a distant memory after winning three games on the bounce. They defeated Wolves and Grace Church on Sunday to move to the fourth place with nine points.

Munir Saidi dazzled with a hat trick, Douglas Muganga and Swaibu Kakwaya saw the net once each, while their side was also a beneficiary of Farouk Kawuma’s own goal.

Wolves refused to sink without a reply and they indeed got their consolation through Albert Olwenyi.

MUBS 7-2 Grace Church

They returned to the pitch with another dominant performance against Grace Church, winning 7-2 in the process.

Swaibu Kakwaya and Maxwell Okello scored a hat trick and a brace respectively, Douglas Muganga and Munir Saidi grabbed a goal individually while Moses Muganda and Owen Ben were on target for Grace Church.

MS Sand Lions 3-0 Wolves

Ms Sand Lions won their second game this campaign with a 3-0 victory over Wolves. Simon Kizito (2) and Brian Nakatanza scored the goals.

FUFA beach soccer league will resume on Sunday March 12 with six fixtures at FUFA technical centre in Njeru.

Fifth outing – results:

Sunday March 5, 2023

MUBS 6-1 Wolves

Grace Church 4-7 St. Lawrence

MS Sand Lions 3-0 Wolves

Kiringente BSC 1- 4 St. Lawrence

MUBS 7-2 Grace Church

Next fixtures:

Sunday March 12, 2023

Buganda Royal VS MUBS

KJT Vs MS Sand Lions

Grace Church Vs Jinja Lions

Wolves Vs St. Lawrence

Mutoola BSC Vs Buganda Royal

Kiringente Vs MUBS

Venue: FUFA Technical Centre

Kick-off: 11am