A journey of 32 teams competing in the Uganda Secondary School Sports Association ( USSSA) football competitions in Tororo District ended on Saturday 23 March 2024. The showdown was between Tororo Progressive Academy ( TOPA) and Rubongi Army Secondary school ( RASS). TOPA proved to be a class apart as it emerged victorious.
However, there was drama at the end when it was revealed that TOPA had actually used “ mercenaries” in their game. “ Mercenaries” is a term used to mean none students or over-aged students who don’t qualify to play in the competitions. Coach Oundo of TOPA was seen refuting these claims and asking for evidence to back up the accusations.
The Road to Tororo District USSSA Finals
Right from the beginning, TOPA had been dubbed the favourites in the tournament. In fact one of the Football Analysts, Mr Akora Raymond AKA Ray 10 said TOPA “ plays like Real Madrid”. In their Semi final tie, TOPA washed away Mulanda 3-0. The match was played on Friday 22 March at around 1:00 PM EAT.
On the other hand,RASS was made to wait for their opponents only to receive two at once. This came about as a result of a petition which saw Great Aubrey Memorial College win the case against Manjasi High School. The latter refused to accept the decision. Their palyers sat in the field and refused to move an inch.
As a result, RASS and Great Aubrey couldn’t paly the match from there. A new venue was immediately identified. The two teams went to Rubongi SS field. Here the game ended 0-0 after normal time and RASS emerged victorious via spot kicks. Their Goal Keeper, Tweheyo Anthony once again saved two penalties to send his team to the finals.
What was said about Tororo District USSSA Football Tournament 2024
Poor decision making has been attributed to the committee that spearheaded this Tournament. For instance the way the issue of petitions were handled still leaves a lot to be desired. A lot of time was taken in handling the matters in a slow manner which forced the tournament to end on Saturday 23 March 2024 instead of Friday 22 March 2024.
As if not enough, “ Loser’s match “ was not played between the other two teams that reached Semi finals that is Great Aubrey Memorial College and Mulanda. Even there was no a public communication system on the day the finals were played , a rare thing for sure.
As it stands, the two teams that reached final and the two that reached Semi finals are set to go for regional competitions. Incase they are successful,they will proceed for nationals which will take place in Masala.
You can watch a few highlights of the final between RASS and TOPA here
