Without clear reforms, Ugandan football is walking a tight rope 

With just a year to go before Fufa goes to the polls to elect a new executive for the next four years, I am holding my breath that several football stakeholders will join me to push for serious reforms in our game.

Those reforms are embedded in the Fufa electoral code, which plethora of restrictive clauses makes anyone vying to unseat the current executive impossible. The current football leadership is hellbent to go ahead with the polls because they know they have already ringfenced all positions to themselves.

Key among the reforms is to introduce the integrity test of candidates in order to weed out self-seekers. I recently got a chance to read through the Fifa integrity handbook and I can assure, only a handful of the current Fufa leadership can pass the test to contest for leadership.

It highlights vices such as corruption, match-fixing, bias and conviction for any offence as some of the issues that discredit someone for standing for office.

Unfortunately, for all the good Fufa has introduced to the game of late, they have failed to include the Integrity test. I have no doubt that the test can go a long way to eradicate the corruption that continues to put the game into disrepute.

I have had a chance to talk to several Uganda Premier League (UPL) club owners and other Fufa regional delegates who have expressed dissatisfaction on being disenfranchised in the running of the sport by the Fufa executive.

The 88-member Fufa assembly has its hands tied when it comes to elections because it is the Fufa executive that runs the show. The delegates’ only role is to rubberstamp what Moses Magogo and his cronies have already approved.

Take the example of a candidate having to have 10 consecutive years of top-level football management in order to stand as Fufa president. I’m sure it is only Magogo and may be two other people that can pass.

If he was popular as he portrays himself, the simple thing would be to open the floor for all. It is still early days but I am going to rally other stakeholders to push for reforms so that the sport gets a new leadership with the interests of developing the sport.

The author is SC Villa president emeritus