Ugandan football has once again been thrown into chaos as new comers Lugazi FC and longtime arch rivals SC Villa and Vipers SC take a unanimous decision to stand up against the controversial league reforms proposed by the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA).
In a statement issued on Tuesday, August 26th, 2025, Lugazi FC expressed frustration in the process leading up to the passing out of the reforms. The Club criticized FUFA for undermining their views and opinions on the same reforms during a recent engagement.
“What was the true purpose of the consultative meeting if the Club proposals were disregarded in the consultative meeting?” the club questioned.
Earlier reports show that the reigning champions, SC Villa and record holders Vipers SC had issued a joint declaration strongly opposing the reforms.
The two teams argued that these reforms were fundamentally flawed and were developed without adequate stakeholder consultation.
Lugazi FC re-echoed similar concerns faulting the rushed implementation of the new rules before giving the clubs little to no time to critically evaluate the impact of such major changes.
“We strongly believe that reforms of this magnitude should not be imposed hastily and must reflect inclusivity, fairness, and transparency for the good of the game,” the statement read.
Rules Under the New Premier League Format
The StarTimes Uganda Premier League consists of sixteen teams competing over three rounds. In Round 1, all teams must play a one-leg league, after which the top eight qualify for Group 1 and the bottom eight enter Group 2 for Round 2, where all matches are played home and away. In Round 2, the top six teams in Group 1 advance to Group 3 to contest positions 1–6, while the bottom two finish in 7th and 8th place.
In Group 2, the top two teams finish 9th and 10th, and the bottom six move to Group 4 to determine positions 11–16. The 14th-placed team must contest a playoff to retain its league place, while the 15th and 16th teams are relegated directly, and the top team in Group 3 is declared league champion.
Each club must submit sporting and business data after every fixture. Sporting data, recorded using Catapult Technology, must be submitted within 48 hours on Form F601, while business data on Form F605 must report attendances and revenues. Referees will enforce the use of monitoring technology, and failure to comply will incur corrective measures.
Fixtures may be played as single-header or double-header events, with double-headers consisting of two matches at the same venue separated by two to three hours. The Uganda Premier League retains the authority to designate fixture types and may amend fixtures within fourteen days.
Financially, FUFA will provide 500 million Uganda shillings in prize money for distribution across all rounds and positions, plus 2 million shillings for the winner of the relegation/promotion playoff.
Gate collections must be declared, with approved operational costs deducted before revenue sharing. In single-header fixtures, the home team retains the majority share, while UPL, FUFA, and the match winner receive smaller percentages. In double-headers, revenue is shared between home and away teams, with UPL and FUFA also allocated shares. In drawn matches, the winner’s share reverts to the home team.
What the Fans Say
The backlash has been met with mixed reactions especially about the credibility of the decision-making process.
“FUFA made reforms that they themselves cannot come out to explain what they really mean or how it’s really supposed to work, even the teams in the league, I don’t feel like there’s real consultation done, let the league run as it used to,” a user on X said.
“The new format looks good(on paper), but needs time to be implemented, not just waking up one day and the system is in place,” another said.
With the new competition rules set to take effect in the 2025/26 season, FUFA is yet to address these concerns.
