It’s NOT all Well Guys: Tenterhooks as FUFA tries to help self on Streamlining Low Refereeing Quality levels

Fufa’s boss Moses Magogo put his head to work the biggest part of Tuesday morning running into some afternoon hours. 

Main on the menu of the meeting, that also involved Fufa’s different department board members and directors, was to identify loopholes, weaknesses and glitches why the poor referee standard and low quality.

On the day, the meeting discussed matters of the Uganda Premier League specifically refereeing using what has already been observed in the matches played so far and therefore mend solutions to address matters going forward.

Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) President Moses Magogo as chairperson and the other heads took up this meeting matter as urgent as possible lest the game be spoilt due to the men and women who blow the whistles hastily.

At FUFA seat in Mengo, the meet comprised of the three FUFA Vice Presidents Justus Mugisha, Darius Mugoye and Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi. 

Arinaitwe Rugyendo of the Uganda Premier League (Board Chairman), FUFA Referees Standing Committee chairperson Brian Miiro Nsubuga, FUFA CEO Edgar Watson, the Deputy CEO- Football Decolas Kiiza, and the FUFA Competitions Director Hajat Aisha Nalule also attended.

The FUFA President highlighted the importance of refereeing in any competition with the responsibility of the Federation in developing, promoting, assessing, disciplining, and correcting the referees.

Right almost in the middle of the season, this meeting and all attendees used the StarTimes Uganda Premier league as the yardstick. 

“We are going into the mid-season where clubs will be doing players transfers and there has already been a sign that there is going to be a tough competition in the second round. We would like to use what we have observed in the matches so far to try going forward specifically on the matter of refereeing. It is the responsibility of FUFA to deliver good refereeing and among the nine parameters that make a competition.” Magogo addressed the meeting.

Magogo noted getting only to the wrong side of events in everything with poor referees when he continued. “If we fail on refereeing or seem to be failing on refereeing, it might affect the entire competition. We might get the wrong top scorer, wrong summons to the National team depending on the statistics.”

“So, it is very important we get refereeing correctly. There are three ways a referee is judged. One is when a referee intentionally makes a mistake, the second area when they are judged is after making a mistake as a human being because we all make mistakes and the third one is when the person judging is the one making a mistake and the referee is correct.” Magogo added.

As he continued to direct the meeting ahead, Magogo also reminded the members that, “As a federation, we have a responsibility to develop, promote, appoint, asses, punish them where there is indiscipline and correct them where correction is needed and that’s what we deliver for the game of any football competition.”

The UPL Board as given the mandate to run the top flight league, who are also representatives of the clubs were to have their views heard on the clubs in the meeting where FUFA was represented by the various offices in charge of football.  

The committee in charge of refereeing also presented their side through their forum as they discussed in detail the current situation in terms of analysis and also propose ways forward.

“We have held a series of meetings towards addressing issues that need to be responded to so as to improve the product of football with particular emphasis to the Uganda Premier League.” FUFA Deputy CEO in charge of Football Decolas Kiiza said on issues that needs to be responded to thus to improving the product of football with particular emphasis on the Uganda Premier League.

He added, “There are many issues to address which we need to pay attention to immediately about the refereeing function and a circular will be released soon for us to be able to improve in the second round.”