URU suspends Rugby Cranes captain Magomu for six months
Uganda Rugby Union has suspended Ivan Magomu for six months and stripped him of his Rugby Cranes national team captaincy after he was charged with two counts of abuse of match officials and bringing the sport into disrepute. The post URU suspends Rugby Cranes captain Magomu for six months appeared first on Kawowo Sports.
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Uganda Rugby Union (URU), through its Disciplinary Committee (DC), has suspended Ivan Magomu for six months and stripped him of his Rugby Cranes national team captaincy.
Magomu was charged with two counts of “abuse of match officials” and “bringing Sport to disrepute.” For the first charge, it is alleged that Magomu assaulted match officials on June 1 during the 2024 men’s Nile Special Rugby Championship Playoffs Final. The second charge relates to a post Magomu made on July 31 on his personal Twitter/X page.
Magomu faced the DC chaired by judicial officer Jeroline Akubu last Thursday. He was represented by Timothy Kajja, a sports lawyer and senior associate at KTA Advocates.
“After careful consideration of the evidence presented and Mr Magomu’s testimony, the Disciplinary Committee recommended the following sanctions:
- Mr Magomu is to be suspended from all rugby-related activities, including participation in any administrative capacities within the Stanbic Black Pirates Rugby Club, for twenty-four (24) weeks. This suspension is to take effect from 16th August 2024.
- The Committee recommended that Mr Magomu be immediately relieved of his duties as Captain of the Uganda Rugby National Men’s XVs team.”
The now-former Rugby Cranes captain has appealed the decision.
His club Stanbic Black Pirates published a statement on Friday morning following URU’s verdict.
This is the second time in 2024 that Magomu has been suspended by URU’s DC. In February, Magomu received a six-match ban for “bringing the sport into disrepute” when he protested against unfair compensation for players’ image rights.
Timeline of Magomu’s Most-recent Case:
- Saturday, June 1, 2024: Magomu features for Black Pirates in the 2024 men’s Nile Special Rugby Championship Playoffs Final at Kyadondo. He is alleged to have physically and verbally assaulted match officials during the period between the final whistle and the awards presentation (he was named Man of the Match).
- Monday, June 4, 2024: Match officials file their match report and complaint against Magomu to the Uganda Rugby Union. The match report, signed by center referee Sauda Adiru, details the sequence of events on the day of the playoffs final.
- Wednesday, June 26, 2024: Uganda Rugby Cranes head to South Africa for a ten-day training camp in preparation for the 2024 men’s Rugby Africa Cup. Magomu received the Uganda flag from the NCS’ Deputy General Secretary Francis Oluga during the official flag-off ceremony at Lugogo.
- Sunday, July 15, 2024: Uganda’s final squad for the 2024 men’s Rugby Africa Cup named at a press event in Jinja. Magomu maintains his role as national team captain.
The Rugby Cranes played three matches in the tournament and finished fifth. - Wednesday, July 31, 2024: Magomu posts on his personal Twitter/X page about the plight of athletes at the expense of sports administrators.
- Monday, August 5, 2024: URU charges Magomu with two counts of “abuse of match officials” and “bringing Sport to disrepute.” The first charge relates to the alleged assault of match officials on June 1 and the second charge to the Twitter/X post on July 31.
- Thursday, July 8, 2024: Magomu faces the Disciplinary Committee via Zoom. The hearing was chaired by URU’s judicial officer Jeroline Akubu while Magomu was represented by his advocate.
An audio recording from the hearing leaked into the public domain on Wednesday, August 15. It reveals that the disciplinary committee referred the first charge back to URU on a technicality but found Magomu guilty of the second. - Friday, August 16, 2024: URU publishes the verdict from the judicial hearing. Magomu stripped of Rugby Cranes’ captaincy and slapped with a twenty-four-week suspension from all rugby-related activities.
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