Several Uganda Premier League clubs could face questions over their opening-day team selections after match reports suggested widespread non-compliance with FUFA’s new requirement to keep at least two eligible youth players on the pitch throughout every league match.
The regulation, introduced in the FUFA Competition Rules for 2026, carries one of the harshest sanctions in the competition, with a club found in breach liable to an automatic 3-0 forfeiture and possible additional disciplinary action.
Rule 35(38) requires every men’s first division club to “maintain a minimum of two eligible Youth Players on the field of play at all times during any Official FUFA Match.”
That requirement doubles the previous minimum of one youth player and means compliance must be maintained not only when the starting XI is selected but throughout substitutions and other changes during the game.
A review of match-day selections from the opening weekend, however, raises questions over whether all clubs complied with the regulation.
The issue was immediately evident in the season opener between defending champions Vipers and Entebbe UPPC at St Mary’s Stadium, Kitende, where the published team sheets have prompted scrutiny over the number of players in the starting line-ups who satisfied FUFA’s youth-player definition.
Similar questions arise from other opening-round selections and could require FUFA to establish whether the players involved were registered as eligible youth players under its system before determining whether any breaches occurred.
The federation defines an eligible youth player according to the player’s age in the year the competition begins, making dates of birth and official registration records important when assessing compliance.
The responsibility ultimately rests with clubs
Rule 35(39) further requires that where one of the minimum youth players is substituted, he must be replaced by another eligible youth player unless the team already has more than the required two on the pitch.
Failure to comply with either provision attracts the sanction contained in Rule 35(41), which states that a breach “shall result in an automatic forfeiture of the match, declared a 3-0 loss,” in addition to any other disciplinary sanctions that may be imposed.
There are limited exceptions
A club will not be punished where the number of youth players falls below the minimum because of a sending-off or an injury suffered after all permitted substitutions have been exhausted.
Otherwise, coaches have to manage the requirement for the entire match. That makes the opening weekend an important early test of whether FUFA intends to enforce the rule exactly as written.
The federation had already highlighted the amended youth-player provisions while briefing UPL clubs ahead of the season, identifying youth registration and match-day use among areas that would require particular attention.
Every UPL match-day squad must also carry the required number of eligible youth players, giving coaches sufficient options to maintain the mandatory presence on the field.
The potential consequences go far beyond fines
If FUFA establishes that clubs failed to maintain the required two youth players, results earned on the pitch could be replaced by 3-0 forfeitures, potentially altering the league table immediately after the opening round.
Ugandan football has already experienced the consequences of player-eligibility errors. In January 2025, KCCA lost their league match against Mbarara City by forfeiture after being found to have fielded Gavin Kizito while he was ineligible.
KCCA appealed the decision, but the FUFA Appeals Committee upheld the sanction, reinforcing the principle that clubs bear responsibility for the eligibility of players they field.
The new youth regulation could present an even greater administrative challenge because compliance does not end with determining whether a player is eligible before kick-off.
Coaches must know exactly which players satisfy the definition and ensure at least two remain on the field whenever substitutions are made.
The regulation is intended to guarantee meaningful competitive football for young Ugandan players rather than merely having clubs register youngsters who rarely play.
Its first weekend, however, may have produced an unexpected test for FUFA itself.
If official registration records confirm that clubs breached the requirement, the federation will have to decide whether to enforce the automatic forfeiture sanction contained in its own rules.
If no sanctions follow despite confirmed breaches, FUFA may instead have to explain how the provision is being interpreted and implemented.
Either way, a rule designed to give young players more minutes could become one of the first major regulatory issues of the 2026/27 Uganda Premier League season.