MENGO – The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) has issued new guidelines on the distribution and selling of the Uganda Cranes jerseys and other merchandise.
FUFA has noted with concern on the infringement of its registered, patented logos, commercial products including the Uganda Cranes jersey and has therefore come out to issue new guidelines that must be followed.
While addressing the media on Wednesday, FUFA Deputy CEO Humphrey Mandu indicated that there are counterfeit jerseys on the market but warned the public to avoid buying such products.
“We are aware that there are people who are illegally selling the Uganda Cranes jerseys. As you know, the Federation has patent rights to its properties and the national team Jersey is one of those’ he said before adding;
‘FUFA has an understanding with Mafro- the sole manufacturers of Uganda Cranes original and replica jerseys and thus FUFA remains the owner and sole importer of the Uganda Cranes jerseys and any other products related to the brand with the FUFA logo’
Mandu stated that the Federation has opened the application process for willing distributors of Uganda Cranes jerseys. He indicated that every region of the country will have an authorised selling point/ distributor.
‘As FUFA, we are opening an application process for anyone willing to conduct business of selling the FUFA related products. We shall have one authorized distributor per region’
The process will be conducted for a period of month (from Wednesday, 9th January to 9th February 2019) with willing applicants formally writing to FUFA on sales@fufa.co.ug
In addition to having authorised distributors, FUFA has brought on board Busingye and Company Advocates who will oversee that the policy is enforced.
‘FUFA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Busingye and Co. Advocates who will be on top of the whole exercise to stop any dealings in fake Uganda Cranes jerseys’ stated the FUFA Deputy CEO.
Norman Mbabazi who represented Busingye and Company Advocates during the press conference indicated that they will help the federation in making sure their brand is protected.
” We are privileged to work with FUFA in making sure we protect the brand of football and the related products. We are in touch with related institutions such as Uganda National Bureau of Standards, Uganda Registration Services Bureau and Uganda Revenue Authority to protect FUFA’s intellectual properties. We therefore urge all Ugandans to buy only the authorised jerseys and from official selling points’ noted Mbabazi
FUFA Legal Manager, Dennis Lukambi stressed the fact that the Federation has full powers over its products and will not give chance to anyone duplicate them.
‘As FUFA, we have a Vision of becoming the number one football Nation in Africa on and off the pitch and protecting the game is one of the components of our mission. FUFA underwent rebranding and all the logos, names and features are all registered. In Uganda under the trademarks act, you can be imprisoned for selling what doesn’t belong to you. So we don’t want to ambush the public and that’s why we are making the sensitization. Members of the public should know that the logos and design were created by some people and FUFA paid for that work. Therefore it’s wrong for one to go and duplicate our work without permission. It is criminal to do such business’ noted Lukambi.
The new Uganda Cranes Jersey manufactured by Mafro and designed by Umar Mukasa, who emerged as the best in the designing competition set by FUFA was unveiled on 10th October 2018.
