SC Villa will host their CAF Champions League Preliminary round first leg contest against Ethiopia’s CBE at Mandela National Stadium in Namboole on Saturday, 17th August 2024.
The araised on Tuesday August 13, when UPDF Engineering brigade who are carrying out the ongoing reconstruction at Namboole led by Lt. Col Peter Kidemuka stated that he knew nothing about the game being hosted at the venue.
After a meeting that was held at Namboole on Wednesday August 14, that was attended by State Minister for Sports Hon. Peter Ogwang, SC Villa President Hajji Ahmed Omar Mandela and UPDF’s Eng. Lt. Col. Peter Kidemuka, SC Villa CEO William Nkemba confirmed that they had reached an agreement to host the game at the venue.
“We had a meeting where several discussions were held with the management of Namboole and we have come to agreement that our game with Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) will be hosted at Namboole on Saturday August 17 as scheduled by CAF.” Nkemba told the media
Namboole stadium management also issued a statement saying that, “We have resolved to have SC Villa game against CBE hosted here on Saturday, but under strict guidelines to preserve the on going works, under the guidance of Sports Minister Hon.Ogwang this is for the good of the game and country reputation ahead of AFCON Qualifiers.”
The meeting was attended by State Minister for Sports and Education Peter Ogwang, SC Villa President Hajji Ahmed Omar Mandela and UPDF’s Kidemuka.
SC Villa’s opponents, CBE FC are expected in the country on tomorrow, Thursday August 15 with the game scheduled for Saturday at 4PM.
The winner over two legs on aggregate will face the winner between last season’s semi finalists and Tanzanian champions Young Africans or Burundi’s Vital’O.
Only two Ugandan sides KCCA FC and Vipers SC have ever progressed to the group phase of the competition however SC Villa reached the final in the old format of Africa’s biggest club competition on the continent in the early 90s.
