Vipers declared 2019/20 Premier League champions

Vipers have claimed their fourth league title after being declared champions of the StarTimes Uganda Premier League for the 2019/20 season.

Vipers had last won the league in 2018 (pictured). It means they now have four league titles to their name. (Credit: Mpalanyi Ssentongo)

This was announced by the president of Uganda’s football governing body FUFA, Moses Magogo, on Wednesday at a press conference.

Magogo revealed that basing on President Yoweri Museveni’s latest address on the coronavirus situation in Uganda, sports might take much longer to resume. For that reason, the FUFA Executive decided to apply Article 18, Sections C and D of the Competition Rules to declared the Venoms champions.

It states that incase of an emergency – like the current coronavirus pandemic – when the league cannot go on and if 75%of the league has been played, the club on top of the table standings at the time can be declared the winner.

”Where at least one club has played more than 75% of the league, the following formula shall be used by TOC (tournament organizing committee) to determine the table positions for the respective group”.

“Total number of points earned from the number of games played multiplied by the total number of games supposed to be played divided by the number of games played,” read the rules.

*Fred Kajoba (left) took charge of Vipers as head coach in January this year*

By the time the league took a forced break, Vipers were leading the table on 54 points, four above second-placed KCCA, with five games left to climax the season.

In this case, Vipers will have their 54 points accumulated multiplied by the 30 games supposed to be played in the entire season divided by 25 games played.

That brings their points tally to 65 points.

This calculation is done to compensate for the matches that were not played. The same calculation has been applied to the relegation teams – Maroons, Proline and Tooro – for demotion to the FUFA Big League.

Kitende-based Vipers will represent Uganda in the CAF Champions League while KCCA will carry Uganda’s flag in the CAF Confederation Cup.

Meanwhile, FUFA Big League group leaders Myda FC and UPDF have been promoted to the top tier while Kiboga, Kataka, Kitara and Ndejje will faceoff in a playoff to determine the third team to be promoted to the topflight.

In the Regional Leagues, the first-round table standings will be considered for playoffs while at the competitions at district level will have neither a champion or teams relegated.

The FUFA Juniors League has also been cancelled.