Impis demand compensation after flopped playoff

By Johnson Were

THE Nile Special premier rugby playoff between Sadolin Mongers and Xfm Impis which flopped last Saturday has taken another twist with the latter demanding for compensation to avoid dragging Uganda Rugby Union (URU) into a legal battle.

In the latest communication which New Vision Sport has seen, Impis wants Mongers to be punished and also wants sh1.5m in compensation for expenses spent on preparation of the team.

This would have been the first ever Nile Special Premier Rugby League promotion playoff if it had not flopped but Entebbe-based Mongers stood by their word and refused to honour the fixture at Makerere.

“What do you guys take us for?!!! This is not a sport of ignorant illiterate foolery.  This is a sport where we treat each other with mutual respect and uplift integrity through sportsmanship,” a bitter Impis boss Louis Lwanga stated in a communication to URU. 

He then went ahead to make further demands.

“The Union has to apologise to us ………have some sort of penalty for Mongers RFC for taking the entire rugby fraternity for granted and Union reimburse a total of sh1.5m to Impis that went into organising this game on the misrepresentation of the Union which has left our club in debt.”

Mongers club chairman Kigongo Ssebalamu said that there was no way they could be party to disorganization and there is no way the sixth club in the  league could play a play-off tie with a championship side for promotion yet there were teams that finished eighth and seventh in the league. 

Mongers finished sixth in the league while Xfm Impis won the championship title and the two were meant to face-off in a playoff with the winner being promoted to the premiership next season while the loser heads to the championship.

“We were informed on Tuesday of the playoff on Saturday, but they didn’t tell us the criteria they used to make us play it, yet you have Lira Bulls and Mutoni Warriors who finished last and second last respectively in the league,” Kigongo stated.

He also explained that as clubs they have never agreed on the super six format the union is imposing on them for the 2014/2015 season.

“Let them produce the minutes where we signed that we are going to play the super six and three clubs will be relegated with one promoted, “Kigongo added.

Rugby manager Yayiro Kasasa earlier had insisted that the game would go on and if Mongers didn’t turn up they would go on with their decision.

“These people are given documents and they don’t read, but for us we shall go on if they don’t turn up,” Kasasa stated.

“I am only waiting a decision from the executive but for now I can’t give you any stand.”