FUFA bans 4 KCCA players

Jun 16, 2015

Four KCCA FC players have been ruled out of Tuesday’s Uganda Cup final replay against SC Villa at Namboole. The game will be officiated by former FIFA referee Alex Muhabi.

By Shafik Ssenoga

Uganda Cup final replay

Tuesday, 3:30pm

SC Villa v KCCA

Four KCCA FC players have been ruled out of Tuesday’s Uganda Cup final replay against SC Villa at Namboole. The game will be officiated by former FIFA referee Alex Muhabi.

These Include Owen Kasule, Joseph Ochaya, Hakim Ssenkumba and Yassin Mugabi.

Apart from Senkumba, who was given matching orders after fouling SC Villa’s Abdul Karim Kasule in Ntungamo a week ago, he will be joined by three other players.

It’s alleged that Ochaya, Mugabi and Kasule were also booked in the referees report for attempting to beat up centre referee Robert Donney during the aborted game.

The match that was aborted on 72 minutes with SC Villa leading 1-0 following Erisa Sekisambu’s controversial penalty, ended after KCCA fans stormed the pitch protesting Donney’s decisions.

Muhabi, who was dropped as FIFA referee last year, has been selected ahead of the five FIFA centre referees such as Denis Batte, Mashood Ssali, Brian Nsubuga Miiro, Rajab Kalyonkolo Bakasambe and Ali Chelangat Sabilla.

“Although he is a former FIFA referee, we still believe he is competent to handle the game,” referees committee chairman Sam Mpiima said.

The decision to ignore the five FIFA approved referees for the final raises questions especially following events of the aborted match.

Before the first game in Ntungamo, FIFA referee Nsubuga was dropped for Donney, who later made controversial decisions that saw the game abandoned.

Muhabi will be assisted by Hussein Bugembe and Ronald Katenya while Joseph Ochom and Haruna Mawanda will be the fourth official and Match assessor respectively.

KCCA FC chairman Julius Kabugo disclosed that the club were shocked to learn that they would play without four of their star players in a meeting on Sunday.

“We were told in the meeting on Sunday that four of our players will not play since the referees report had indicated that apart from Senkumba, who was red carded, Ochaya, Kasule and Mugabi were also given matching orders,” Kabugo said.

Villa implicated


“We only knew about the suspensions in the meeting after Villa officials demanded that all sanctions made in the referees’ report against KCCA should be worked upon before the replay.

“This shocked us since it indicated that Villa had already had access to the match report. We had to ask the FUFA president Moses Magogo why KCCA had not be given a chance to have access to the report but he denied that SC Villa had received the report,” he added.

“But my side will go on and use other players since a team comprises 25 players,” Kabugo stated.

In the aftermath of the aborted match, Magogo was criticised for announcing a replay of the final and withholding the suspension of KCCA player Ssenkumba even before referee Donney had submitted his report.

KCCA are already without injured players Derrick Nsibambi, Ronnie Kisekka and Francis Olaki.

On Monday, SC Villa president Ben Misagga told New Vision that: “We had appealed against the replay but we decided to go ahead for the good of the game. We want to win the title the right way.”

SC Villa coach Ibrahim Kirya said his side is ready for the match. “We have been camping in Mukono since Sunday to prepare for the game,” Kirya said.

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