Apart from a low scoring return on the opening day of the 2017/2018 Azam Uganda Premier League (AUPL) on Tuesday, other forces conjured up to see to it that one of the five scheduled matches failed to take off.
Vitali Tabu’s 72nd minute strike was the only goal scored in four games, the 1-0 victory over Soana sending SC Villa top of the log with three points.
The rest of the games produced goalless bouts. But in Bugonga, the story was peculiar.
The scheduled match between hosts Masavu and Police failed to take off because the hosts failed to avail their players’ licenses ahead of kick-off as required by league rules.
Masavu CEO Muzafar Ssebagala had made frantic last-minute efforts to secure the licenses, spending the day at the Fufa secretariat in Mengo.
He was ultimately unable to secure the licenses, forcing match commissioner Edirisa Kiwanuka to call off the game 30 minutes after the scheduled 4.30pm kickoff.
“I don’t know who to blame because my CEO gave me an assurance on Monday evening that the game would be played because that would mean everything is sorted,” said a disappointed Alex Gitta, the Masavu coach.
Since earning promotion to top flight football, there have been signs of unpreparedness at Masavu, and not much progress has been registered since Anthony Kimuli bought the club from Tony Ssozi.
The readiness of the ground also raised questions with the dressing and washrooms all still under construction.
Yet Masavu were not the only team affected by a lack of licenses.
Proline reportedly travelled with 11 outfield players to Onduparaka after failing to secure passports in time. Passports are needed for a player to be licensed.