Seven games on the menu as Uganda Premier League season kicks off
The Star Times Uganda Premier League season will on Friday kick off with a host of games in various stadia around the country.
At the Star Times stadium in Lugogo, Uganda Cup and Super Cup winners KCCA FC will host re-branded side Toro United in the league opener in a battle for supremacy.
The game will be a renewal of rivalry between Mike Mutebi and Wasswa Bbosa who was formerly at SC Villa but the former hopes to build on the triumphs his team has reached in the pre-season to win the Friday game .
“I think we are stronger and the triumphs in the pre-season competitions give us even more confidence,”Mutebi said.
In pre-season, KCCA won the Super Eight tournament, Phillip Omondi and FUFA Super Cup and they hope this will boost their confidence levels.
Vipers vs Ndejje
In this season’s first televised game, defending champions Vipers SC will host new league entrants Ndejje University in another battle for supremacy.
The game will be the first to be played at the newly refurbished St.Mary’s stadium stadium that among other new things now boasts of an artificial turf.
This will be the second competitive test for Mexican tactician Javier Martinez Espinoza who recently replaced Miguel Da Costa who was shown the exit at the end of last season.
He had earlier lost to KCCA in a penalty shootout in the FUFA Super Cup.
“l know we are going to play a team that would like to make a statement by being the first team to win at St Mary’s Stadium this new season but we are also ready to fight for the three points,” Espinoza told the Vipers website.
The Kitende based team that lost a number of their title winning stars including skipper Nicholas Wadada, goalkeeper Ismail Watenga and midfielder Milton Karisa among others will hope to rely on services of last season’s top scorer Dan ‘Mzee’ Sserunkuuma.
The game at the St.Mary’s stadium will be broadcast live on Sanyuka TV.
Others games
URA vs Paidha Black Angels
Onduparaka FC vs Nyamityobora
Mbarara City vs Express FC
Kirinya Jinja SS vs SC Villa
Bright Stars vs Maroons
Quick facts
Vipers SC are the Uganda Premier League defending champions.
Pay television company Star Times announced a sponsorship deal for the Uganda Premier League and FUFA Big League worth US$7,240,000 (Shs28.1bn) for the next 10 years after bagging the title naming and broadcasting rights of the top flight leagues.
The Chinese company that enjoys a base of 1.3 million subscribers in Uganda also won the naming rights for Uganda’s top flight league for the next ten years.
This season’s new league entrants are Paidha Black Angels,Ndejje University and Nyamityobora from Western Uganda.
Vipers’ Dan Mzee Sserunkuuma was the league’s top scorer for last season with 14 goals.
