Uganda Premier League champions Vipers Sports Club have said they will not take part in the newly introduced Uganda Premier League (UPL) format for the 2025/26 season, citing lack of consultation, financial risks, and disregard for club concerns.

In a strongly worded October 2 letter to the UPL Fufa chief executive, Vipers president Lawrence Mulindwa accused the local football governing federation of disrespect and blackmail, saying the club’s repeated petitions had been ignored despite engagements in August and September.

“To our surprise and dismay and with utter disrespect, we have to-date never received any formal response to the several pertinent issues raised in our petitions,” Mulindwa said. “Instead, we have been met with social media ridicule, blackmail, rebuke and ostracization.”