West Nile will play Kampala Province in the quarter-finals of the ongoing 2022 FUFA Drum competition starting on September 9th, 2022. The 2022 FUFA Drum competitions kicked off in July after two years of interruption by the COVID-19 pandemic with 16 provinces participating.
The draws that were held at FUFA House in Mengo on Monday by the Chairman of the FUFA Drum Organizing Committee Rogers Byamukama pit Kampala Province against West Nile, in what is expected to be a tough contest. In other fixtures, Bugisu province will take n Lango, defending champions Acholi will battle Buganda province while Teso will take on Tooro, all on home and away fixtures.
West Nile province, which covers the districts of Koboko, Arua, Nebbi, and Terego, among others is proving to be the most feared with several Uganda Premier League stars such asRashid Kawawa, Alfred Leku, and Bright Vuni among others.
To qualify for the quarter-final, West Nile eliminated Karamoja on a 6-0 aggregate after the double-legged fixtures. Having won the first leg 5-0 at Greenlight Stadium in Arua, West Nile once again defeated Karamoja 1-0 in the return leg played at Naitakwae Sports Complex in Moroto thus advancing on a 6-0 aggregate.
In the same development, Kampala province also eliminated Bukedi on a 4-1 aggregate. Uganda Cranes forward Martin Kizza was pivotal in Kampala’s qualification to the quarter-finals after scoring two goals in their second leg 3-0 victory.
Speaking after the draws, Byamukama cautioned fans to stop invading the pitch while celebrating their team’s goals. He says this affects the brand of the tournament in and outside the country.
Unlike the previous editions, which started in a group format, this year’s edition was shortened and started with the round of 16, played home and away. The winner per fixture progressed to the quarter-finals.
FUFA started the competition in 2018. Buganda and Acholi won the first and second editions in 2018 and 2019 respectively. According to FUFA, all Ugandan players are eligible to participate in the championship. However, for a player to represent a certain province, their biological mother or father must be of descent or ancestry from such a province or must have lived in that province for a period of not less than 10 years.
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