FUFA distances itself from Hoima Stadium project amid sports minister’s claims

The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) has firmly denied any involvement in the construction or supervision of Hoima City Stadium, pushing back against recent remarks made by State Minister for Sports, Peter Ogwang.

The minister had earlier indicated in an interview that FUFA, through its leadership structures, was part of the Local Organising Committee tasked with overseeing infrastructure ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

He also claimed that the National Council of Sports had facilitated funds to the federation to supervise works at the Hoima-based facility.

However, FUFA has rejected those assertions in strong terms.

Speaking on behalf of the federation, National Teams Manager Patrick Ntege dismissed the claims as inaccurate, insisting that the body has never received any mandate or funding related to the stadium project.

“I believe the Minister may have been misinformed, or he is simply not stating the facts,” Ntege noted. “At no point have we been approached to supervise the construction, and there has never been any financial allocation to FUFA for such a role.”

Ntege further clarified that FUFA’s absence from the project dates back to its inception. Despite his position on the infrastructure committee of the AFCON Local Organising Committee, he emphasized that the federation has remained completely detached from the development process.

“From the very beginning to the completion of the stadium, FUFA has not had any input. We have never even visited the site in any supervisory capacity,” he explained.

“Either the Minister (@OgwangOgwang) didn’t get his facts right, or he is lying,” FUFA’s Patrick Ntege denies their involvement in the construction of the Hoima City Stadium. #NBSportEndibaYaffe #NBSportUpdates pic.twitter.com/SIIhGqOKcE

— NBS Sport (@NBSportUg) March 30, 2026

He also pointed out that construction works on Hoima City Stadium began before the formation of the AFCON-related committees, and even after they were established, FUFA was neither consulted nor incorporated into the supervision framework.

The disagreement surfaces at a critical moment, following a recent inspection report by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which identified several shortcomings that must be rectified before the stadium can meet the standards required to host matches during the 2027 AFCON tournament.