Mbale Heroes’ 6-1 drubbing by Kiyinda Boys in the Fufa Big League over the weekend was a crushing blow for the club.
The defeat, one of the heaviest since their return to the limlight, came amid ongoing struggles to field a full squad on the pitch. For four matches now, the team can’t simply have a full starting 11.
Off the pitch, the club is now left to grapple with a fresh financial and legal headache after Fufa’s Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) ruled in September that Heroes must pay former coach Asaph Mwebaze Shs11.4m in outstanding salaries from contracts covering the club’s ill-fated StarTimes Uganda Premier League campaign.
Mwebaze signed two contracts with the club between 2023 and 2025 with the second mutually terminated in January 2025 under the agreement that all dues would be cleared.
Heroes initially delayed payment, citing alleged misconduct by the coach on social media but the DRC rejected this and stated that post-contract conduct could not affect entitlement to earned wages.
When Heroes still did not comply, Fufa’s Ethics and Disciplinary Committee stepped in this week and has given the club a final 30-day ultimatum to pay the coach.
The Committee has further warned that persistent default would result in a ban on registering new players, in a sanction that could severely cripple the club during the January transfer window.
Counsel Ojok, among the people managing the club, was blunt in a recent interview with this paper on the financial realities: ‘We are doing everything possible but the truth is that the team is struggling to restructure and the truth is the team is struggling financially,’ he revealed.
The timing could not be worse because without reinforcements, Heroes face the real risk of further heavy defeats and a may not finish the season.
In the other games played over the weekend, newcomers Bunyagururu United put a halt to Blacks Power’s run with a 1-0 win that helped Kigezi cut the gap at the top to three points.
Kigezi beat Onduparaka 2-1 to move to 19 points as their close chasers Iganga United and Kataka fumbled 1-0 and 2-1 to Ntugasaze and Kaaro Karungi. In Nakivubo, Wakiso Giants and Catda played out to an entertaining six-goal stalemate.
FUFA BIG LEAGUE
Weekend results
Kaaro Karungi 2-1 Iganga United
Wakiso Giants 3-3 Catda
Ntugasaze 1-0 Kataka
Kigezi Homeboyz 2-1 Onduparaka
Bunyaruguru United 1-0 Blacks Power
Kiyinda Boys 6-1 Mbale Heroes