KAMPALA – High Court Judge Musa Sekaana has dismissed a fraud case against the Federation of Uganda Football Association (FUFA) just a few hours ahead to the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) game between Uganda and Tanzania.
Three football fans (applicants) who include; Geoffrey Turyamusiima, Ronnie Kizito and Carol Kongai had sued FUFA over allegations that it had acted fraudulently by selling tickets that outnumbered the sitting capacity of Mandela National Stadium in the 2016 AFCON qualifiers match between Uganda Cranes and Comoros.
The three fans had claimed that FUFA printed and sold more than 100,000 tickets leaving many people outside the stadium yet the stadium has a sitting capacity of 45,202 people. They sought orders from court that FUFA should refund the amounts they paid in purchasing tickets to watch the football match.
However, the judge has ruled that the case was filed in a wrong court saying that the magnitude and subject matter of the claims sought in the petition were better placed in a magistrate’s court and that the high court lacked jurisdictions to entertain the claims it.
“When you go to the FUFA Website, there is a provision that calls for arbitration and mediation if at all there is an issue committed by the Federation, but the petitioners did not follow the provisions,” the judge noted.
Adding: “There were several inconsistencies in the demand notice written to FUFA by lawyers of the applicants. Their lawyers filed a demand notice with three tickets, however, when the case was filed in court, they had nine tickets which indicated inconsistency.”
