The president of Uganda’s football federation, Moses Magogo, and its chief executive, Edgar Watson, have been appointed to influential committees of FIFA, the sport’s global governing body — a development many see as a boost for Uganda’s voice in international football.
Magogo will serve on FIFA’s Football Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation Committee, while Watson joins the Technical Development Committee. Both appointments, confirmed this week, recognize their roles in guiding Ugandan football through a decade of transformation.
In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) congratulated its top officials, calling the news “a testament to Uganda’s growing influence in global football governance.” The post read: “Congratulations to the FUFA President Hon. Moses Magogo and CEO Edgar Watson, who have been appointed to the Football Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation and the Technical Development Committees of FIFA respectively.”
Magogo, who has led FUFA since 2013, is no stranger to international football circles. He previously served on FIFA’s Security and Integrity Committee from 2015 to 2017 and has been a key figure in shaping policy within regional and continental bodies.
The committee he now joins plays a crucial role in how the sport embraces new tools and systems — from goal-line technology and VAR (Video Assistant Referee) to digital fan engagement. FIFA says the group’s work aligns with its broader strategy to modernize football and deepen its connection with younger, more tech-savvy audiences.
“Technology provides many new opportunities and FIFA recognises that it is an integral part of modern society,” the organization said in a recent statement. “Our organisation is committed to leveraging it as a driver for progress at various levels.”
That commitment is already visible in projects such as the planned use of referee body cameras at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 — a trial aimed at offering fans a first-person view of officiating decisions. “This will give viewers a new experience,” said Pierluigi Collina, chairman of FIFA’s Referees Committee, “showing images from an angle of vision never offered before.”
Watson’s new committee, meanwhile, focuses on the technical side of the game — including coaching standards, youth development, and football education worldwide. In Uganda, he has been central to creating a long-term “Technical Master Plan” that prioritizes grassroots training and youth academies.
FUFA said it expects the appointments to “further strengthen Uganda’s football ecosystem” and inspire continued growth across Africa.
But the news also lands at a complicated moment for Ugandan football. The sport’s domestic landscape is facing friction over a new three-phase format for the Uganda Premier League, set to begin in the 2025–26 season.
The restructuring has drawn sharp criticism from several top-flight clubs, led by Vipers SC and its president, Lawrence Mulindwa — himself a former FUFA chief. Magogo, who helped push the changes through, has found himself at the center of the backlash.
While some clubs, including SC Villa and NEC FC, have agreed to play “under protest and duress,” Vipers remains staunchly opposed. The standoff has evolved into a broader debate about how Ugandan football is run — and whether FUFA’s leadership is doing enough to balance innovation with inclusion.
For now, FUFA’s top two officials find themselves at the heart of both local controversy and global recognition — a reflection of the complicated but ambitious path Ugandan football continues to navigate.
