Since Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) announced the $500,000 early payment of their annual mandatory $1M contribution to each of the 211 member countries, there has been a lot of excitement within the football family.
FIFA also confirmed they are in a process to release a special relief fund to assist member countries in this trying times of humanity marred by the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
In Uganda, like other countries apiece, many people in football (players and club officials) have rushed to the mother body to politely solicit for part of this fund.
Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) has since clarified on this annual grant.
FUFA’s Communications Director, Ahmed Hussein elucidates further on this grant, its timing and intended use.
Why has FIFA released this money (US 500,000) so early?
FIFA is aware that federations have been affected by the current situation (Covid-19) and decided to release this money earlier than expected to help Member Associations (MAs) run their activities.
However the usual procedures (meeting all requirements before FIFA Funds are released were waived off for now) but all MAs will still be required to meet the usual requirements to provide accountability for these funds and against activities as submitted by FUFA to FIFA at the start of the year.
Who sponsors FUFA Activities?
Majorly, FUFA’s expenditures are met by FIFA; for example salaries, acquisitions of property and educational programmes are all supported financially by the world soccer governing body.
The Government of Uganda finances the Uganda Cranes which is a huge relief to FUFA.
We have expenditures as an institution and largely our three sources of revenues are; Government, FIFA and our locally mobilised resources i.e Sponsorships and others.
Our locally mobilised resources help to supplement the FIFA and Government support which they are not able to take up yet FUFA wishes to spend on.
How will the USD 500,000 be spent?
FUFA manages its finances in accordance with the lined up activities and availability of funds for each calendar year as approved by the FUFA Executive and FUFA Assembly.
Spending money on activities that were not planned for in the FUFA budget means some activities would be forgone.
This money USD 500,000 will be spent on activities in our budget from July to December 2020.
What’s this talk that the money (USD 500,000) should be shared by clubs in Uganda?
We are aware FIFA are planning to come up with an extra fund particularly targeting stakeholders who have been affected by these tough times of Covid-19.
FIFA will meet and take a decision on this matter.
It is from this meeting that FUFA can get to know certain decisions taken by FIFA on how the stakeholders can become beneficiaries.
They will decide on the particular activity and how much extra funds to put aside.
In case any funds are released by FIFA to stakeholders, they will definitely issue guidelines on how it should be spent and on what activity.
For now, this money will be spent on our activities as submitted to FIFA at the beginning of the year and we shall provide accountability for that.
However FUFA will seek clarification from FIFA on the limitations of spending this money since there is a lot of anxiety from the public about the FIFA communication on the advanced funds.
For now, we are following the FIFA Circular which was sent to all its MAs.
Which activities will this money be spent on?
FUFA submitted Youth Football, Women, educational courses, human resource development and institutional costs as the key areas for support on which this money will be spent on.
FIFA will audit FUFA on how they will spend the money as per the plan submitted and against which activities.
IAM ENG.KAMUNTU MOSES MUGANGA(Delegate BDFA(BUSHENYI).Wonderful to have your say, as the governing body.
About the annual activities in comparison to funding, the RFA’s were requested to get the DFA’s work plan to help in finding out where to invest most.
But since FUFA is in plan not to divert the funds to any other section, thus sticking to its original plan of YOUTH and WOMEN football, I can only advise as follows.
1.Since FUFA is requesting MA’s to give accountability of the funding already in place for 2020,the largely affected are the DFA’s where by 70%-80% of the activities in the work plan are done by DFA exaucutive.
Most of the amount in question is got from billowing as well as salaries for members.
Since these people are no longer accessing the areas of income,I think they should be part of the beneficiaries through RFA-sand FUFA.
2.Iam also largely suplised with the FUFA diccission to give only 500,000= to DFA’s(of which this is only 2.5% of.the work plan especially BDFA as the case study.
Women football and YOUTH (under 17 and 12/9) require 800k and 2m respectively.
So how does FUFA expect grassroot development of such without funding,even not in hard times.
As BUSHENYI DFA,in accordance to the available structure,I would request at least 50% of the work plan to be considered by MA as the rest remains for US.
3-On the point of many people running to FUFA like all other countries,the governing body should try to consider grassroot funding especially where the work plan emphasises the support of the FUFA requirements/developments.
Thanks