The Uganda Premier League, which represents the summit of club football in the country, has recently been in the spotlight, as heavily contentious officiating decisions continue to grab the biggest headlines with every passing matchday.

It has become an unpleasant norm that the most significant discussions center around a poor refereeing call, rather than the game itself, player and coach performances, tactics or even the standout performers.

The latest victim was versed coach Asaph Mwebaze, whose Mbale Heroes FC team, unjustly suffered at the hands of the officiation plague. As his team suffered a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Uganda Cup champions Kitara FC on Friday, he felt the wrath of what he later termed “substandard refereeing”.

Mwebaze's Mbale Heroes were at the receiving end of a dubious penalty, awarded by center referee Henry Musisi for a supposed handball by defender Adrian Sserugo, despite replays showing that it was Kitara attacker Living Kabon, who had instead handled the ball in the former's penalty-area.

ASAPH MWEBAZE FURIOUS AND PERPLEXED WITH REFEREEING LEVELS

In an exclusive interview with SportsBoom.com, Mwebaze could not hide his frustration with how fast the officiation levels are going down across the Uganda Premier League and the local sphere.

“It becomes very frustrating when you lose a game because the referee or the assistant didn't do their job,” Mwebaze began in an emotional rant. “Football has to be fair and referees need to do their jobs right, otherwise they're putting the game in disrepute.

“The refereeing standards are certainly going down with every game that passes, and sadly, nobody seems to care,” the Mbale Heroes coach added. “We cannot have a growing league when the levels of key stakeholders of the game (referees) are lacking.

“There have been so many incidents when the referee made a call for a nonexistent event. For example, a clear and un-debatable penalty was denied to my team (against Mbarara City FC, as the latter won 1-0) and it had effects on the eventual result of the game. In this league, it's really tricky to play away from home, because hosts seem to get a bit of favor with refereeing calls.”

DISMAL REFEREEING CASTS LONG-TERM DIVERSE EFFECTS

While Mwebaze went nuts for the unfairness he feels his team has suffered, he thinks poor officiating is a growing trend that has affected almost every team. He is convinced that the vice is deeply eating up the game, and that it's carrying lasting effects towards football development in the country.

“These kinds of things negatively impact football growth in the country, because almost every team is a victim. You cannot fairly compete when the results seem predetermined, sometimes. It's impossible, so we need a fairground,” the tactician added.

“Players and coaches cannot adequately express their abilities if they have a sense that the referee could eventually ruin the game. What this means is that, the players and the coaches are caged with questionable referee calls.

“You don't expect to develop the game if the biggest stakeholders, who are the fans, think that the match officials favour some teams and unfairly judge the others. The next day, you won't see them in the stadiums. You cannot grow or develop the game without fans,” Mwebaze noted.

THE REMEDIES THEREIN

Mwebaze, who has previously held coaching roles at Maroons FC, Onduparaka FC, Soltilo Bright Stars in the top-flight, and the Uganda National U17 team, believes the way-forward is as clear as day.

“It's not as difficult as many want to portray it. The responsible parties have to train these referees more than it's done. They need to be at the levels where the league is projected at. If we're shooting towards a professional league, the referee standards have to be raised up to that,” he advised.

“There's a set education standard for CAF-B licence holders for coaches which is UACE (Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education). The referees should also have these levels so that the integrity and general understanding of the game can match,” Mwebaze added.

“Also, referee remuneration has to be revised and raised to avoid temptation and compromise. We've had cases of referees getting banned and suspended for match fixing, but in many instances, it's because their pay is still wanting, their pay can be better. That way it gets hard for anyone to compromise their work,” Mwebaze summed.

Uganda's football governing body FUFA (Federation of Uganda Football Associations) has often organized refresher courses at the end of respective seasons for the referees, yet there has not been evident significant changes.