Relegation candidates Jinja Municipal Council Hippos Football Club have officially lodged in a request to the Uganda Premier League Secretariat to have their game against Express rescheduled.
JMC Hippos failed to make the trip to Muteesa II stadium on Tuesday to face Express but the club has come out to state their position on why they failed to honour the game.
In a letter dated 18th April 2017 Jinja Municipal Council Hippos indicate the team bus broke down enroute to the match venue and thud the team could not continue with the journey.
“We had set off from Jinja bound for Wankulukuku-Kampala the venue of our opposing club host home but along the way at Lugazi town,our omni bus broke down, we had already paid up.” Reads the statement.
“We tried all efforts to catch up with time scheduled of 4pn but we could not make it,” the letter further stated.
What does the law stipulate?
According to Article 24 subsection 4 of the Fufa competitions regulations,
“A club failing to turn up for any league/competition match shall submit a written explanation to the TOC within 48hours from the date of the match,”
The decision therefore is dependent of the judicial body to either accept the explanation or go ahead to award the points to Express for forfeiture.
UPL Secretariat
Uganda Premier League Secretariat CEO, Bernard Beinamani indicated they had received the letter from JMC Hippos but will wait for the match report and the decision by the competitions and Judicial committee.
Contrasting issues
Whereas JMC Hippos CEO George Kirya letter indicates the team bus broke down, the club chairman Faisal Muhammad told this website that the club administrators were short of funds to facilitate the team to Kampala yet he was out of Jinja town in the morning hours.
If JMC Hippos are penalised for forfeiture, then that will automatically confirm them as the first team to get relegated this season.