Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPEDENT | Uganda Premier League reigning champions SC Villa has secured Mandela National Stadium, Namboole to host their 1st preliminary round of the TotalEnegries CAF Champions League.
SC Villa reached an agreement with the UPDF Engineering Brigade, the contractors responsible for Mandela National Stadium (Namboole), to host the match against Commercial Bank of Ethiopia on 17th August 2024.
The agreement was finalized after an extended meeting held on Wednesday morning at the stadium. The meeting brought together the SC Villa Executive, the UPDF Engineering Brigade, and the Namboole Stadium management, following concerns raised about the stadium’s readiness to host the match.
The meeting was prompted by a statement made on Tuesday by Lt. Col. Peter Kidemuka, the lead project engineer, who announced that the stadium was not yet ready for any events. According to Kidemuka, he said the running track surrounding the pitch was still wet and needed time to dry.
Kidemuka expressed surprise at the news that a club was planning to host a match at Namboole, suggesting that unless a helicopter could land directly on the playing turf, there would be no way for players to access the pitch without stepping on the wet track.
This announcement sent shockwaves through SC Villa’s fan base, who had been eagerly preparing to support their team in continental competition after a long absence. The club had already announced that Namboole would be the venue for their match and had set ticket prices for the game scheduled for August 17, 2024.
In response, SC Villa’s CEO, William Nkemba, and President, Umar Mandela, swiftly convened an emergency meeting on Wednesday with the UPDF Engineering Brigade and Namboole Management, with the State Minister for Sports Peter Ogwang attending part of the discussion to resolve the issue.
After the meeting, SC Villa CEO William Nkemba briefly informed journalists that the parties had engaged in extensive discussions and reached an agreement to allow the stadium to host the upcoming match.
Kitara, SC Villa Controversy
Earlier this month, controversy arose when reports suggested that Namboole Stadium management had allowed SC Villa to host its Champions League match against CBE at the stadium while denying fellow Ugandan Premier League club Kitara FC the opportunity to host its CAF Confederation Cup match against Al Hila Benghazi at the same venue, citing the stadium’s unavailability.
As a result, Kitara FC was forced to take its match away from home in Libya. However, it was later revealed that Namboole Stadium management had initially declined both clubs’ requests to host their matches due to the stadium’s unfinished state.
However, SC Villa went on to announce that their match would still be held at the stadium. Sources suggest that SC Villa allegedly used influential contacts to secure the venue despite the stadium’s ongoing construction.
Status of Namboole
In May this year, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) cleared Mandela National Stadium-Namboole to provisionally host internationally recognized matches after nearly five years since it was barred from hosting an international stadium.
Subsequently, Uganda Cranes hosted their crucial upcoming FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifying fixtures against Botswana and Algeria in June.
However, the continental Football governing body highlighted several deficiencies, including relocating the media tribunal, addressing the unfinished ceiling, upgrading floodlights, improving the VVIP section, and reducing seating capacity from 40,818 to 38,000 due to visibility issues caused by structural posts.
These were to be reviewed by the contractors to allow the stadium be ready even for all international events without being queried. But quickly, Col Kidemuka, the Project Engineer, assured that most issues were already being addressed and would be resolved soon.
What is in contention now is the running track, but this has got nothing to do with CAF requirements, because it is purposely for athletics (Uganda athletics Federation), and therefore could not hinder a football game.
Meanwhile, Uganda Cranes will use the stadium for its 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Uganda is set to host Congo on 8th September and later host South Sudan in October.
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