The Uganda Premier League fixture at MTN Omondi Stadium in Lugogo was halted after about 10 minutes, with the cause of the lighting failure and the match’s fate awaiting clarification.
The Uganda Premier League match between KCCA and UPDF was abandoned on Thursday evening after a failure of the floodlights at MTN Omondi Stadium in Lugogo disrupted play.
The match had lasted about 10 minutes when darkness forced players off the pitch, as the stadium’s lighting system failed and play could not resume.
The abandonment left fans who had turned up disappointed, with uncertainty over whether they would be refunded for their tickets.
KCCA subsequently issued a statement apologising to supporters and other stakeholders for the interruption and abandonment of the fixture.
“KCCA regrets the interruption and subsequent abandonment of our match against UPDF at MTN Omondi Stadium, Lugogo, following a failure of the stadium floodlights,” the club said.
The club said it was treating the incident seriously and would work with the relevant stakeholders to establish the cause of the failure.
“The Club is treating the matter with the seriousness it deserves and will work with the relevant stakeholders to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident,” the statement reads.
KCCA also apologised to UPDF, fans and others who had turned up for the match, acknowledging the inconvenience and disappointment caused.
The club said it was awaiting further communication from the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) on the fixture and any subsequent decisions.
Under Rule 31 of the FUFA Competitions Regulations, a referee is required to suspend a match for up to 30 minutes following a floodlight failure to allow the lighting system to be restored. If the lights cannot be restored to the required standard within that period, the referee must abandon the match.
The regulations provide for different outcomes depending on the findings of an investigation into the cause of the failure.
If the investigation establishes that the home team was responsible for, or benefited from, the incident, the team may forfeit the match and face further disciplinary action from FUFA’s judicial bodies. Similar consequences may apply if the away team is found responsible or to have benefited.
However, if the failure is found to have resulted from unavoidable circumstances and the match has been played for less than 70 minutes, the regulations provide for the Tournament Organising Committee to reschedule it as a continuation-of-play match.
The circumstances surrounding Thursday’s floodlight failure had not been established by the time of publication, leaving the fixture’s fate subject to further communication from FUFA.