UNF forges new path after failed league restart

If the top brass at the Uganda Netball Federation (UNF) had actually had a dialogue with its member clubs then they could have avoided the league’s false restart.

With 72 hours left between the league restart and mandatory testing, it was not clear at all if the top two women’s leagues would even go on.

Police Netball Club was testing all its players whilst most clubs just played the waiting game possibly knowing that many could not afford the test kits.

At the end of the day, they had every right to stay put if they knew well and good that they would not adhere to the standard operating procedures.

Most importantly, the two teams that showed intention to get tested were expected to send their report to the NCS and also get into camp which isn’t the case.

“NCS expected us to send those people’s names to them after testing for COVID-19 in order to get a go-ahead. Looking at the way Weyonje and Police have been handled after testing, they have been contaminated because they went back home to their families,” UNF spokesperson Wilberforce Mutete said.

The federation is now paving a new way forward and possibly a shorter format tournament in which the best players are kept in camp without any outside interference.

“The league planning committee is trying to see to it that the league starts. We are going to call on managers and come to an agreement on when to camp where and when to restart,” Mutete stated.