Uganda Cup: Police protest fails, Round of 16 fixtures confirmed
Uganda Cup: Police protest fails, Round of 16 fixtures confirmed
FUFA has dismissed a petition by Police FC challenging the eligibility of Umar Kyebatala, confirming that Lugazi FC rightfully advanced in the Uganda Cup.
Police filed the protest after their 2–1 defeat to Lugazi in the Round of 32 last month, a match that saw Kyebatala play a key role in the victory that eliminated the law enforcers from the competition.
The cops argued that the forward was ineligible because he had earlier featured for non-league side Football Classroom during the preliminary round against Red Ants FC.
However, FUFA’s Competitions department ruled that the regulation cited by Police only applies to players officially registered for the tournament with the federation starting from the Round of 64.
Since Kyebatala had not been registered with FUFA as a Football Classroom player at the time of that preliminary fixture, the federation concluded that he was free to feature after being properly registered by Lugazi FC.
With the protest thrown out, Lugazi’s result stands and the club will now turn attention to their Round of 16 encounter against NEC FC as the race for a quarterfinal spot intensifies.