FUFA should respect sports journalists

Last Friday, the Federation of Uganda Football Association (FUFA) released a detailed programme of how Uganda Cranes' friendly matches against Gabon (January 10) and Cameroon (January 13) would be managed.

Through the International Match Organising Committee head Benard Ogwel, the federation emphasized two issues; that both games would be played behind closed doors with no access to fans.

And that only media with CAF accreditation for the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) would be granted access to the match venue at the Technical Centre in Njeru.

The federation was however quick to remind the public that there will be live feeds from the game courtesy of FUFA's partners Azam Television and the federation's FM radio station.

The association's position is outrageous.

True, it's international practice to have national teams play some trial games behind closed doors. But even when that happens, media are usually given an opportunity to cover part of the training matches.

It's rather absurd that, for whatever motives, FUFA has in this case chosen to allow access to only its broadcast clients and the few journalists that were accredited for the championship.

The Uganda Sports Press Association (USPA) has membership of about 100 sports journalists.

Were the 100 journalists supposed to be accredited by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to cover practice matches in Njeru?

There are a number of journalists that will cover the Cranes but will not travel to Rwanda and as such didn't need accreditation for the championship.

So don't these have a right to attend Cranes' practice games?

It's strange that a local federation chooses to lock out media from covering the national team's only trial matches before a championship.
I fi nd the federation's position selfish, and disrespectful to the media.