The State Minister for Sports, Peter Ogwang, has said the management of KCCA Football Club declined to allow upgrades at Philip Omondi Stadium that would have enabled it qualify as a training venue for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Ogwang made the remarks on Wednesday while appearing before the Parliamentary Budget Committee alongside officials from the Uganda National Council of Sports (NCS), the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) and the Ministry of Sports.
The minister explained that Philip Omondi Stadium was initially identified as one of the potential training grounds for AFCON. However, this changed after guidance from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which requires training facilities to have natural grass.
“If you all recall, at the first phase of the identification of the training pitches for AFCON, Philip Omondi Stadium was among those training grounds which we had identified,” Ogwang said.
“But going into the details and getting guidance from CAF, CAF guided that they needed us to have a facility with the natural grass for it to qualify to be a training facility.”
Ogwang said government held engagements with KCCA FC management to explore the possibility of upgrading the stadium to meet CAF standards, but the club was not willing to allow the installation of a natural grass pitch.
“We had an engagement with the management of KCCA Football Club. They were not ready to allow KCCA, Philip Omondi Stadium, get to a level of having it, the pitches, natural grass,” he said.
“As a government, we had to look for alternative venues to suit into the guidance which was given by the Confederation of African Football.”
He told MPs that Philip Omondi Stadium is no longer among the training facilities earmarked for AFCON works, noting that funds have already been released for other approved venues.
“For purposes of having a training facility, I want to confirm to you honourable members that as of now they are not among the training pitches which we are going to undertake works,” Ogwang said.
He, however, called on Parliament to continue supporting KCCA as a sports organisation, particularly in budget allocations to complete works at the stadium.
“It’s important that we support the budget of KCCA as sports organisations to ensure that money is appropriated for that specific purpose to complete the works of Philip Omondi Stadium as part of the KCCA FC,” he added.
Uganda is currently developing several high-standard training grounds ahead of AFCON 2027 to meet CAF requirements, with construction targeted for completion this year.
Key facilities are largely linked to match stadiums such as Hoima City Stadium and the Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium in Lira City.
Training venues identified include grounds at Gulu University, Lira University, Pece Stadium, Kyambogo University, Makerere University and FUFA Kadiba.
Earlier this month, the government signed Memorandums of Agreement with Gulu and Lira universities for the construction of training grounds.
The agreements were signed by the National Council of Sports, represented by board chairman Ambrose Tashobya and general secretary Dr Bernard Patrick.
Under CAF requirements, host stadiums for major continental tournaments must have at least four training grounds attached to them.
