Why Outgoing champions Vipers were never crowned

On Thursday June 08, Vipers SC will officially be dethroned from throne as Uganda Premier League champions when Fufa crowns Express FC.

The confirmation to crown the Red Eagles who like Vipers won the league with matches to go due to the Coronavirus pandemic that saw the nation locked down was revealed by the FA.

Shockingly, the Venoms could join the Guinness World Book of Records as winners that were never crowned.

However, UPL CEO Bernard Bainamani explains why the Venoms were not crowned.

“We couldn’t crown them due to a lockdown,” he started. “But we gave them two options which their CEO never responded to up to now,” he added.

‘The first option was for them to arrange and we (UPL) take the trophy at their place though in the boardroom due to time factor since it was already late for pitch action due to lockdown and the other was for them to receive the trophy from the UPL secretariat,’ said BainamaniBernard Bainamani

At the moment, some of the players and coaches that were part of the team that won the title already left the Kitende based side asked if they can pick their medals individually, Bainamani said;

The same arrangement for the trophy was made for the medals. The medals are still there for the CEO to pick not individual players and he is very much aware of that. He promised to come and pick them but he has never done. ‘Bainamani on players’ medals’Simon Peter Njuba during the official unveiling ceremony at St Mary’s SS Kitende (Credit: Vipers SC Media)

The laws state the outgoing champions must return the trophy to secretariat a month to the end of the league and Bainamani confirms its indeed available.

“The trophy was supposed to be at the secretariat a month before the current season and indeed it’s at the secretariat.”

Efforts to speak to the Vipers CEO over what the UPL say were futile as his known contacts were off.