Local football governing body, FUFA has announced the suspension of 13 people including 10 referees over involvement in match fixing.
In a statement released on Thursday, FUFA said the list also includes two football administrators and one player who will be suspended from any football-related activities for 90 days as investigations into potential participation in a multi-match fixing scheme continue.
The local football governing body said their investigatory chamber of the ethics and disciplinary committee had received alerts indicating that several matches in the first round of the 2023/2024 football season had been targeted for manipulation for betting purposes by an organised criminal ring.
“In accordance with Article 77(8) of the FUFA Ethics and Disciplinary Code 2023, official investigation proceedings were opened against the 13 persons. Pursuant to Article 78 of the FUFA Ethics and Disciplinary Code 2023, Internal investigations into the matter commenced and the investigations have since revealed that a match-fixing syndicate based in South Africa was responsible for and financed the plot to manipulate the matches,” FUFA said.
They said the operation on behalf of the match-fixing syndicate was led by one Hilfiger Mutyaba alias Chelsea and other local criminal elements.
Mutyaba is an ex-convict who was charged, convicted and sentenced in the Virgin Islands for financial-related crimes.
It is alleged that the group recruited Referee Kaddu Ali who was tasked with approaching and recruiting club officials, players and referees on behalf of the match-fixers for purposes of involving them in the fixing of matches.
“As part of this match-fixing scheme, the investigation has so far identified some of the matches that were targeted for manipulation by the match-fixing syndicate between October 2023 and December 2023.”
“The investigation further revealed that several referees, club officials and players were approached and bribed by the match-fixers concerning the manipulation of the results in the matches mentioned above.”
Suspects
FUFA said evidence so far got has implicated referee Ali Kaddu,Ahmed Kongola and Richard Epieru( both football administrators),Sajjabi Geofrey Noor Hassan, Muyaga Khalid, Okello Simon Peter ,Nantantya Godwin, Atuheirwe Joyce, Nabisere Tausi, Atuhaire Docus and Ichilla Samuel, all referees as well as one player, Latif Kiyemba.
“The provisional bans have been communicated individually to each party and the world soccer governing body-FIFA.”
