Why Uganda’s FA unveiled official match balls called Zakayo

The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) has unveiled their official match balls, called Zakayo.

The match ball was unveiled together with Janzi, the federation’s official sportswear manufacturer. Janzi has been tasked with the production of Zakayo, jerseys, travel bags, tracksuits, caps, hats, branded cups, and umbrellas.

Why Zakayo

During the ceremony conducted in Kampala at the federation’s offices, FUFA’s Chief Executive Officer, Edgar Watson, explained why the official match ball was named Zakayo.

“The FUFA match ball was made with consideration of our heritage as Ugandans. The official name of the ball is Zakayo, a legendary chimpanzee whose story dates back to 1963 in Semiliki l National Park but was later transferred to Entebbe Zoo, where he lived until he died in 2018.

“The ball has been made with consideration of the latest trends in terms of texture, design, durability, and flight,” Watson said.

The animal’s appearance is what inspired the FA to name the ball after it.

“Zakayo has patches of the three colours of the Uganda flag. Black, yellow, and red stand for ethnicity, abundant sunshine, and brotherhood.

“The texture on the ball’s outer skin is designed to offer consistent flight, rate of spin, and speed,” FUFA explained.

The ball has undergone extensive experiments on different grounds, including bare pitches, and according to FUFA, the texture is suitable to last long enough.

For the start, every Uganda Premier League club was given 25 balls: 20 for the senior team and five for the junior team.

Big League clubs received fifteen balls, while FUFA Women’s Super League clubs received 15 balls.