Football stakeholders in the western region have been asked to propagate the fight against match fixing and manipulation of football results, as the new law armed with serious repercussions has come to catch the culprits.

The call was made by FUFA's 2^nd vice president, Darius Mugoye, as he represented president Eng. Moses Magogo at the FUFA Western Region Football Association (FWRFA) annual general meeting (AGM) held at Pelican Hotel in Mbarara City on Saturday.

“You have to know that the new Sports Bill that has been assented to by the President is now law that will among others, come against those involved in the vice and as stakeholders, your duty is to make sure that you spread this message in your areas such that those who are involved or were thinking of getting involved, be in the know of it as a crime and also the repercussions it comes with,” Mugoye said.

According to the law, a person guilty of match fixing is liable to a sh10m fine or 10 years in prison or both.

The 10^th AGM chaired by regional chairman Sseka Mutaka, was also attended by FUFA CEO Edgar Watson and FUFA executive committee members Chris Kalibala and Frank Ankunzire.

During the meeting, members put forward suggestions to help develop the sport in the region, which were welcomed and advised on accordingly.

The suggestions included having part of the celebrations to mark FUFA’s 100 years of existence staged in Mbarara, extending the FUFA TV schools football to the western region, and lobbying the government to establish regional stadia, among others.

In response, Mugoye assured the delegates; “I assure you that next season we shall have competition at a regional level like the Western Uganda chapter, Central Uganda chapter, Eastern Uganda chapter and others, and the winners in each region meet in grand national finale to determine the national champions.”

On infrastructure, Mugoye said FUFA is working closely with the government to fill the gaps.

“One of the reasons as to why the president (Magogo) took up to contest a political seat, was to get closer to the government so he lobbies for football, football infrastructure inclusive and I can assure you he close to the government even when I don’t give details, and has already started the lobbying journey,” he said.

Mugoye also noted that there exists a cordial relationship between the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) and FUFA as schools are the base of football talent identification and development.

On his part, Watson was happy to find a vibrant RFA seating and advised the FUFA delegates from the region to diligently serve their areas.

FUFA executive committee member Chris Kalibala made a loud call to the stakeholders in the region to put extra effort into women's football development, as the sport in this category has declined in the region.

There was a round of applause when FUFA announced an increased contribution to the region from FUFA, from sh25m to sh50m, bringing the past FWRFA budget to sh57m for the 2023/24 season and 22 clubs have been confirmed for this season’s regional league.