The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) has upheld disciplinary action against Vipers for failing to honour their Uganda Premier League fixture against Kitara at Mandela National Stadium on October 4, 2025, during the now-abandoned league format dispute.
In its ruling, Fufa’s disciplinary panel found the reigning champions guilty of breaching Article 16 of the Fufa Ethics and Disciplinary Code after the club did not show up for the match.
“The match is declared lost by Vipers by forfeiture,” the federation stated. Fufa added that, exercising discretion under Article 5, the disciplinary panel chose not to impose further punishment such as docking additional points or goals, describing the decision as final.
The case stems from the controversy that engulfed Ugandan football at the start of the 2025/26 season, following Fufa’s introduction of a new league format.
The proposed three-phase system, designed to make the competition “faster, fiercer, and fairer,” faced immediate backlash from clubs and supporters after it was unveiled in August.
Under the changes, the 16 teams were to play each other once before splitting into groups for additional rounds, culminating in a playoff-style finish.
Critics argued the model was rushed, overly complicated, and threatened the integrity of Uganda’s traditional league setup.
Vipers, led by club president and former Fufa supremo Lawrence Mulindwa, emerged as one of the strongest opponents of the reforms.
The reigning champions insisted they would not participate under the new structure and announced at the start of the season that they would halt league involvement until the format was reconsidered.
The standoff came to a head when Vipers failed to report for their match against Kitara, part of a highly anticipated double-header at Namboole.
Their absence caused confusion among fans and organisers and intensified pressure on Fufa to address the dispute.
Weeks later, amid growing resistance from stakeholders across the football fraternity, Fufa reversed course, scrapping the new format and returning the league to its traditional home-and-away system. Vipers subsequently resumed participation in league fixtures.
Despite the federation’s retreat on the format, Fufa on Thursday maintained that the disciplinary ruling over the Kitara boycott remains in force. The club has previously questioned the status of the fixture, arguing that the suspension of the regulations that triggered the boycott weakened the basis for forfeiture, and has pursued aspects of the dispute through judicial channels.
Vipers currently lead the Uganda Premier League standings with 36 points, three ahead of their closest challengers—Gaddafi, KCCA, and SC Villa, who are tied on 30 points.do that?