The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed worldwide suspensions on three former Express FC officials for their involvement in manipulating a 2024 Uganda Premier League match against Kitara FC.
The sanctions, confirmed by the Federation of Uganda Football Associations on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, affect former assistant coach Mike Mutyaba, goalkeeper Emmanuel Kalyowa, and former club Chief Executive Officer Miiro Ashraf Mwanje.
The trio has been barred from all football-related activities worldwide effective March 12, 2026, following investigations into the December 21, 2024 fixture in which Kitara FC defeated Express FC 7–0 under suspicious circumstances.
According to FUFA, its Ethics and Disciplinary Committee initially handled the case at the national level, issuing provisional suspensions before escalating the matter to FIFA for global action.
FIFA’s ruling now prevents the sanctioned individuals from participating in football in any capacity whether as players, coaches, administrators, or officials across all FIFA-affiliated member associations worldwide.
However, the case involving Mbazira remains pending before the FIFA Disciplinary Committee.
The latest sanctions form part of broader efforts by both Federation of Uganda Football Associations and FIFA to combat match manipulation and restore integrity within Ugandan football.
Several other Ugandan football actors previously received global bans arising from related 2024 investigations by the FUFA Ethics and Disciplinary Committee. These include: Saleh Maganda (formerly Calvary FC), Franco Oringa (formerly Northern Gateway), Godfrey Lwesibawa (formerly Gadaffi FC), Yahaya Mahad Kakooza (formerly Gadaffi FC), and Andrew Waiswa (formerly Gadaffi FC) have all received five year ban respectively.
George Nkurunziza (referee) and Deogracious Opio (referee) ave eached received 10-year ban respectively.
The development reinforces FIFA’s zero-tolerance policy on match manipulation, sending a clear message that such offenses will not be tolerated anywhere in the global football ecosystem.
