Northern Region districts of Gulu and Lira will host the next phase of the FUFA Drum 2019 starting from the Quarterfinals to the Final.
This is after the massive passion exhibited by the home fans while supporting their Acholi and Lango provinces respectively as the two provinces registered the highest number of fans on home ties.
FUFA Drum Organising Committee chairman Rogers Byamukama said that the two districts have been chosen to ease accessibility of the fans and the media during the tournament.
“Like we communicated at start of this year’s edition, the format of the FUFA Drum after the group stages was changed. We have selected Gulu and Lira to host the quarterfinals,” confirmed Byamukama.
He added that the federation is working hard to make sure the host venues meet the required standards. The eight (8) Provinces through to the Quarter Finals will be pooled into two groups; one based in Gulu and the other in Lira.
The quarter finals will be played in October but dates are yet to be confirmed. From the 16 provinces that took part, the teams in the quarterfinals are; Holders Buganda, 2018 Runners up West Nile, Lango, Acholi, Busoga, Bukedi, Bugisu and Tooro. FUFA Drum tournament top scorer Tito Okello of Acholi believes playing infront passionate home fans in Gulu will be an added advantage to his side.
“The fans have really supported us and made us work hard. We are happy the quarter finals will be hosted in the north,” noted the Vipers SC striker, who leads Drum tournament scorers chats with 4 goals.
Meanwhile, Nile Special has been handed the match day rights of the tournament as the official beer partners. The Uganda Cranes sponsors will be the only beer brand sold at the match day venues of the competition. Nile Special joins Uganda tourism board and the government to bankroll the tournament that was invented by FUFA last year to celebrate ancestry, rally patriotism, promote sports tourism, spread the game and unearth raw talent
