Ssenfuka: Vipers SC midfielder leads newcomers to celebrate maiden UPL title

Vipers SC newcomers, led by Rahmat Ssenfuka, have celebrated winning the Uganda Premier League (UPL) crown in their first season with the club.

The Venoms were crowned the top-flight champions after the Federation of Uganda Football Association (Fufa) moved to end the 2019-20 season owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

With five matches remaining to the end of the season, Fufa applied a rule that if more than 75 percent of the league’s games had been played by the time the season was suspended on March 18, they can use the current league standings to decide the season's outcome.

The decision allowed Vipers - who led the table with 54 points after 25 matches - to be crowned champions, while Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) FC and Sports Club Villa were second and third on 50 and 46 points, respectively.

Maroons FC, Proline FC, and Tooro United were relegated to the second-tier, Myda FC and Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) FC were promoted to the UPL, while four other clubs will participate in a playoff to determine the third team to be promoted.

Despite winning the title without playing all the matches, Vipers players were left on cloud nine but not as much as the newcomers, who have been crowned for the first time.

Ssenfuka, who signed for the Venoms from Police FC, welcomed the move, though he said it could have been better had the country managed to contain the Covid-19 pandemic so that they could celebrate the milestone.

“I am extremely happy and excited,” Ssenfuka is quoted saying by the club’s official website.

“But I am also saddened that we cannot celebrate this milestone because of the lockdown. Winning the title was always our target right from the start and being my maiden title, I am really joyful for the achievement

“We did everything for one another by giving our all in every game. Sincerely, this was not the way we wanted the end to be [invoking articles in the competition rules] but we are proud to be champions."

The other new players also expressed their delight at winning the trophy.

Right-back Paul Willa said: “I am so honoured to become a UPL champion for the first time. Congratulations to my entire teammates and the officials at Vipers.”

Defender Jacob Okao explained: “I hope to win more silverware in my career here at Vipers.

“This is a huge blessing because there are many players who retire without such achievements and winning it for the first time, in my maiden season, makes it even more memorable.”