Budiope have been awarded three points and three goals after Bukono failed to honour their MTN Busoga Masaza Cup fixture, but the team’s protest over its 2-1 defeat to Bunha has been unsuccessful.
The decisions were among the rulings issued by the competition’s Disciplinary Panel following a meeting on October 15, 2026, to consider several disciplinary cases from the ongoing tournament.
In the first case, Bukono forfeited its match against Budiope that was scheduled for September 26 at Baligeya Memorial Secondary School after the visiting team failed to turn up.
According to the referee’s report, the fixture was not played because Bukono did not appear at the venue.
The panel noted that Bukono was required to submit a written explanation for its failure to honour the fixture within 48 hours of the scheduled kick-off. The team failed to meet that requirement.
Consequently, the panel ruled that Bukono had forfeited the match, awarding Budiope three points and three goals.
The decision gives Budiope a reward for the unplayed fixture, although the team’s separate complaint about officiating in its match against Bunha did not result in a change to the score.
Budiope had petitioned the panel over its October 4 encounter with Bunha, which ended 2-1 in favour of Bunha.
The team challenged the appointment of centre referee Lubega Ayub and alleged that two of its goals had been wrongly disallowed. Budiope also questioned a penalty awarded to Bunha and a corner kick given during stoppage time that led to Bunha’s winning goal.
However, the panel found that the appointment of Lubega was legitimate, noting that the Referees’ Appointment Panel has the authority to designate match officials under the competition regulations.
The disciplinary body also said it could not conclusively verify Budiope’s allegations because the available video footage did not provide sufficient views of the key incidents.
It further cited the competition regulations, which provide that referees’ decisions made during play are final and cannot be challenged through a protest.
Despite dismissing the petition as a basis for overturning the result, the panel raised concerns about the officiating.
It said the match commissioner’s report had cited inconsistencies that warranted further investigation into whether Lubega had officiated with the required integrity and impartiality.
The panel consequently suspended Lubega from officiating in the MTN Busoga Masaza Cup with immediate effect and referred his case to the Referees’ Disciplinary Panel for further investigation and appropriate action.
The result, however, remains unchanged, with Bunha retaining the 2-1 victory.
The two rulings present contrasting outcomes for Budiope: the team gained three points and three goals from Bukono’s failure to appear, but could not overturn its defeat to Bunha despite concerns raised about the referee’s performance.
The panel’s decision to suspend Lubega pending investigation also leaves the allegations against the official to be examined by the relevant referees’ disciplinary body.
