Bugema University have vowed to bounce back stronger after a 3-0 defeat to defending champions Muteesa I Royal University in the opening match of the 2026/27 Pepsi University Football League at Hamz Stadium, Nakivubo, on Thursday, October 22.
While the scoreline went against them, head coach Andrew Mugagga believes his side showed enough in the opener to give fans every reason to keep faith.
“It was a loss, and the results were not on our side,” Mugagga said. “But I want to tell you that our boys played very well. We got many chances, but we couldn’t utilise them.”
Bugema went toe-to-toe with the champions for almost the entire first half, holding off a Muteesa side coached by former Uganda Cranes midfielder Tonny Mawejje. Muteesa only broke through on the stroke of half-time, when Shabir Lubega finished off a cut-back from Ivan Ochan.
The champions added two more in the second half through Erick Katende and substitute Sam Mutambo. Bugema kept creating chances, with Kamulungi Nuwagaba and Bashir Kasibante leading the charge, but a disciplined Muteesa backline and goalkeeper Joram Kayanja kept them out.
Mugagga said the difference between the sides was finishing. His team reached the final third often but lacked the concentration to score, while Muteesa made the most of the few chances they got. He also pointed to mistakes in defence that the champions punished.
Preparation, the coach said, was not the problem, as the team arrived on time and fully ready. He has since held one-on-one sessions with every player to review their performance, and has called for more seriousness and focus in the team’s approach to games. From now on, he says, every match is one Bugema must win.
The team is already back on the training pitch, and there is plenty still to play for. Under the league’s new regional format, Bugema sit in Group B (Western Region) alongside Muteesa, Makerere University, Nkumba University, Kampala International University and Bishop Stuart University, among others. Each team plays six group matches, three of them at home. The top two qualify automatically for the quarter-finals, joined by the two best teams outside those places. With the group stage running until April 2027, the race has only just begun.
Bugema have also shown they can beat these same opponents. In February this year, goals from Eric Sawa and Owen Ssenyonga gave them a 2-1 win over Muteesa at the same venue.
The opener was graced by Rev. Canon Dr. Duncans Mugumya, Commissioner for Physical Education and Sports in the Ministry of Education and Sports, together with officials of the Association of Uganda University Sports (AUUS), which organises the league with sponsorship from Crown Beverages Limited under the Pepsi brand.
Mugagga thanked the university, the team managers and the students for their support, and had a simple message for the Bugema faithful.
“I’m appealing to all our fans not to lose hope,” he said. “They say a bad beginning can give a good ending.”
Thursday was the bad beginning. Bugema now have five games to write the good ending.
