Sports Club Villa will host their CAF Champions League game against CBE at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole.
The news comes as a relief for the Jogoo faithful, whose return to Champions League football after two decades looked to be in jeopardy. On Tuesday afternoon, Mandela National Stadium’s UPDF Project Engineer, Lieutenant Col. Peter Kidemuka, said the venue would not be available for the game. He cited ongoing works on the running tartan track, stressing that the only way was if the teams used a plane to land on the pitch.
“There is no team that will play here. Namboole is still under renovation. It is a lie. They can’t come and destroy this [tartan track], and you can see it’s still wet. They will not play; it is a rumor.” Kidemuka said.
However, following a series of meetings between Villa officials, stadium management, and the government, a consensus was reached on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by Villa Chairperson Hajji Omar Mandela and Sports Minister Peter Ogwang, among other dignitaries. Villa CEO William Nkemba announced the developments to journalists at the stadium.
“We have had a meeting where several discussions were held with the management of Namboole. We have come to an agreement that our (Villa) match with Commercial Bank of Ethiopia will be hosted at Namboole Stadium.” William Nkemba said.
Nkemba stressed that both sides agreed on measures to protect the ongoing works. He confirmed that VIPs will access the stadium via the Western gate, and fans will use the Northern Gate. Villa takes on CBE in the first leg of the preliminary round of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League on Saturday, 17th August, at 4 p.m.
Villa returns to continent
Since winning the league, the Jogoo have bid farewell to a number of stars, including record title-winning captain Keneth Ssemakula and Umar Lutalo, among others. Similarly, title-winning Serbian head coach Dusan Stojanovic was fired and replaced by his assistant, Morley Byekwaso.
However, their preparation for the Champions League has seen them play two tournaments over the last month. New signing Najib Yiga sparked a memorable campaign in the CECAFA Kagame Cup in Tanzania. However, they had a forgettable FUFA Super 8 campaign, where they were eliminated by a select Cranes side.
The other team representing Uganda in continental football, Kitara FC, chose to host their games in Libya. They are already in Libya for their preliminary round first leg against Al Hilal Benghazi SC.
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