Africa-Press – Uganda. Jinja Progressive Academy (JIPRA) has formally protested its disqualification from the ongoing Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) Under-20 Boys National Championship 2025, being held in Ngora District.
The school was thrown out of the tournament under contentious circumstances, with the organizing committee citing the alleged use of ineligible players — Adrian Isabirye and Musa Ntege — who were reported to have accumulated yellow cards.
The committee also pointed to alleged acts of hooliganism by supporters during a high-stakes quarterfinal clash against perennial rivals St Mary’s Kitende.
However, JIPRA officials have strongly challenged both the basis and handling of their disqualification.
The school’s Games Master, Mr Ali Mwombwe, decried what he termed as a lack of due process.
“The committee never gave us a chance to explain. In a technical meeting before the match, the USSSA Technical Committee Chairman Mr Richard Muhumuza agreed that cards — some of which we believe were fraudulently issued — would be scrapped,” Mwombwe said.
Controversy marred the match even before kick-off. JIPRA had requested a change of referees, citing concerns over bias and previous questionable officiating, but the appeal was rejected. During the match, tensions escalated early.
In just the second minute, JIPRA’s Martin Ekuma was booked, followed by a controversial penalty awarded to St Mary’s Kitende in the fifth minute.
Claude Wakenge converted from the spot to give Kitende an early lead.
Head coach Junior Mukisa described the encounter as “plagued with irregularities and poor officiating.”
According to Mukisa, JIPRA was denied a legitimate equaliser in the 35th minute.
“The referee had pointed to the centre circle, indicating a goal, but the assistant referee then raised his flag — a decision that caused confusion and incited fans,” he explained.
He downplayed allegations that he attacked the assistant referee, saying “I am trained enough to know that it is illegal to attack any match official while on duty, but as head coach i wanted to know why the goal was cancelled.”
The escalating tensions forced the match to be halted, with both teams ordered off the pitch to await a decision from the tournament committee.
JIPRA was later disqualified — a move the school described as hasty and unjust.
“We do not condone the fan reactions, but the root cause must be addressed — compromised refereeing,” JIPRA said in a statement.
Assistant Games Master Hassan Kivumbi urged the organising committee to consider structural changes moving forward.
“We need well-fenced pitches, especially for such tense fixtures. No official from JIPRA attacked any referee — the issue was crowd control. Next time, let’s have a different referee for each key match, particularly from the quarterfinals onward,” he proposed.
Mr Kivumbi also addressed widespread rumours of a ban, clarifying: “We were disqualified from this year’s tournament, but not banned, as falsely circulated on social media.”
Mr Kivumbi also dismissed accusation that JIPRA are the perpetrators of hooliganism -we have been knocked out severally in other tournaments but we always drive back peacefully there is need for the organising committee to investigate the root cause of violence this time round.
Further confusion emerged today morning following the disqualification, when JIPRA officials claimed they were contacted by tournament organizers inviting them to participate in a “losers’ match” to determine East African Games qualification.
“They called this morning asking us to play a match, yet we were disqualified yesterday,” said JIPRA Director Swaibu Kitezaala.
“This process has been handled in a disorganized and unjust manner. A rematch with a new set of referees would have been the fair solution.”
This marks the second consecutive year that JIPRA has exited the national tournament under
controversial circumstances — a reality that has left the school disheartened but determined.
“We are devastated by this decision, but we shall come back even stronger. We won’t stop. We won’t relent,” read the school’s concluding statement.
As the tournament heads toward its climax — with St. Mary’s Kitende set to face Buddo SS in the finals — the spotlight has shifted to USSSA’s handling of disciplinary matters and officiating integrity.
With calls for transparency and accountability growing louder, all eyes remain on the association to restore trust in school sports governance.
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