There is a storm inside the family of Uganda Premier League entity Tooro United Football Club a few days to kickoff the 2021-22 season.
The first owner of the club Smart Obedi and his predecessor Ssepelito Ssesanga are fighting tooth and nail to reclaim the property they had “sold” off to business lady Alice Namatovu.
The development comes after Namatovu failed to abide by the planned payment schedule and flow for the take-over.
Kawowo Sports has established that Namatovu signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Obedi and Ssesanga in November 2019, making an instant commitment fee of Shs 5,000,000/=.
She was thus given a well-stipulated flow of how the entire payment of over Shs. 113,000,000/= could be made with a given time frame which she did not respect.
Perhaps as time evolved, Obedi and Ssesanga discovered that Namatovu had allegedly changed the ownership status of the club having successfully registered it at the Uganda Registration Service Bureau (URSB) as her personal property.
“We discovered that the lady (Alice Namatovu) had officially registered Tooro United Football Club under the Uganda Registration Service Bureau (URSB) with forged signatures of Smart Obedi and Sseplito Ssesanga. We have never signed anyway,” a bitter Ssesanga cried aloud.
To that effect, Obed and Ssesanga have written to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) for a way forward before they seek legal address.
In a separate interview with Kawowo Sports, Namatovu boldly laughed off the allegations, acknowledging the fact that there is still a pending balance and the issue is being dealt with by her lawyers.
“I am not a media person and would not love to discuss some issues in the press but everything is clear. My lawyer has the balance with him and is ready to pay to settle everything. It is true, there has been a balance I am supposed to clear up and the lawyer will sort them up sooner than later,” Namatovu, one of the few female club presidents in Uganda’s football disclosed.
For starters, Tooro United FC was previously known as Soana Football Club but re-branded at the start of the 2018-19 season.
Previously, Soana FC was called Misindye-Soana after a take over from the then Mukono-based out-fit.
The club was relegated to the second division at the end of the 2019-20 season but managed to bounce back in June 2021 after a season in the FUFA Big League.
As the 2021-22 Uganda Premier League season gears up, Tooro United is set to host Mbarara City at the Buhinga Stadium in Fort Portal on Saturday, 23rd October 2021.
The team is coached by experienced tactician Edward Golola whose backroom staff has former Uganda Cranes midfielder Steven Bengo among other people.
The club is supported by the Kingdom of Tooro.
Good evening sir/madam
Am requesting for a person called Alice Namatovu
kindly help me with her number
Thank you and your reply will highly be appreciated
regards
Safina