Budiope FC has formally petitioned the Technical Organising Committee (TOC) of the 2026 MTN Busoga Masaza Cup, challenging the administration and outcome of its 2-1 defeat to Bunha FC on October 4.
In a petition dated October 5, Budiope, which competes in the Bukowe Hill Group alongside Bugabula, Bukono and Bunha, alleges that a series of administrative and officiating irregularities materially influenced the result of the return fixture played at Bunha Secondary School.
The club is asking the TOC to review the match and either award the game and points to Budiope or, alternatively, nullify the result and order a replay under neutral conditions.
Venue change questioned
Budiope’s first complaint concerns the match venue.
According to the club, the fixture had initially been scheduled for October 3 at Wembley Stadium but was moved to October 4 because the venue was reportedly being used for a thanksgiving function.
However, Budiope says the match was ultimately moved from Wembley Stadium to Bunha Secondary School without prior official communication to the club.
The club argues that the unexplained change was irregular and prejudicial and wants the TOC to establish who authorised the change, when it was made and how it was communicated.
Referee appointment challenged
Budiope has also challenged the appointment of centre referee Lubega Ayuba.
The club claims Ayuba had previously been excluded from officiating in the Masaza Cup following earlier officiating controversies.
Budiope says members of the TOC who were present at the match, including media representative Mwesigwa and Head of Referees Musota, corroborated its position.
The club is asking the TOC to produce any written decision that may have reversed the earlier restriction on Ayuba before the Bunha-Budiope fixture.
The petition further raises concerns over the absence of the appointed Match Assessor.
Budiope says it understands that the assessor declined or protested the assignment because of Ayuba’s appointment.
The club argues that the absence deprived the match of independent officiating assessment and has asked the TOC to examine the assessor’s appointment record and written account.
Two goals disallowed
On the field, Budiope disputes two offside decisions that ruled out goals scored by the club.
According to the petition, Budiope scored three goals in the match, but two—one in each half—were disallowed for offside.
The club maintains that both goals were legitimate and argues that their cancellation directly affected the outcome of the match.
Budiope also contests the penalty awarded to Bunha in the second half.
The club says one of its defenders won an aerial challenge and headed the ball before colliding with a Bunha player. The referee nevertheless awarded Bunha a penalty, which was converted to equalise Budiope’s first-half goal.
Budiope maintains that no penalty offence occurred.
Winning goal also disputed
The club’s final major on-field complaint concerns the decisive goal.
Budiope claims that around the 90th minute, a Bunha player sent the ball beyond the goal line and that the correct restart should have been a goal kick.
Instead, the referee awarded Bunha a corner, from which the home side scored the winning goal.
Budiope argues that the disputed corner directly created the opportunity from which Bunha secured victory.
Club submits video evidence
Budiope says it has video footage of the four key incidents at the centre of its petition: the two disallowed goals, the penalty awarded to Bunha and the 90th-minute corner that preceded the winning goal.
The club says the footage is available and will be submitted to the TOC for review.
Budiope argues that its petition is not simply an attempt to overturn individual refereeing decisions but concerns what it describes as a combination of match-administration and officiating irregularities.
Budiope wants result overturned
The club has asked the TOC to declare the venue change irregular, investigate the appointment of Ayuba, review the video evidence and make specific findings on the four disputed incidents.
Its primary request is for the recorded Bunha victory to be set aside and the match and corresponding competition points awarded to Budiope, subject to the applicable competition regulations.
Alternatively, Budiope wants the result nullified and the match replayed at a neutral or properly approved venue, with a different team of officials and an independent Match Assessor.
The club has also reserved its right to pursue further remedies through the applicable football authorities, courts or other lawful forums if it remains dissatisfied after exhausting the competition’s internal review and appeal mechanisms.
The petition was signed by Budiope FC administrator Nichlas Kafeero and vice-chairperson Andrew Kitimbo on behalf of the club.
