URA escapes CAF ban, fine

By Swalley Kenyi

URA FC will be able to represent Uganda in CAF competitions next year despite earlier fears that the team would be locked out of continental football for up to three years.

However the tax men, who have already won the Bell Uganda Cup, have been thrown out of this year’s campaign.

URA failed to honour the return leg of the first round CAF Champions League against Djoliba AC of Mali in March citing insecurity in the West African country whose legitimate government had just been overthrown through a military coup.

But the continental football governing body insisted that the team travels to Bamako even after the Uganda Government issued a statement barring its nationals from travelling to Mali.

URA also escaped $1500(sh3.7m) CAF fine for failing to honour the return leg. They will also not refund expenses Djoliba AC could have incurred in preparation for the game.

“We had the president (Lawrence Mulindwa) in Cairo (CAF headquarters) to defend URA. CAF acknowledged the reasons URA advanced and dropped all possible sanctions against them but they will not continue in the competition this year,” FUFA publicist Rogers Mulindwa told the press yesterday.

URA have already qualified for next year’s Confederations Cup after they won the Uganda Cup on Saturday. They are also well-placed to retain the Uganda Super League as they lead the table.