Vipers SC have completed the signing of Ghanaian national, Awisome Fumador, making him the eighth and final signing in the ongoing transfer window.
Fumador, who operates as a centre forward, has penned down a two-year employment contract with the Venoms.
The 27-year-old comes in to bolster our attack, as we seek to compete on all fronts next season, including the CAF Champions League, FUFA Super 8, Uganda Premier League and the Uganda Cup.
He has previously featured for Cape Coast Ebusuwa Dwarfs FC where he scored 20 goals between 2012-2014.
He also traded at Berekum Chelsea where he netted 22 goals and at Elmina Sharks FC where struck six times.
Fumador also played at Elmina Glolamp Academy and Ho Hostel FC where he scored 15 and 10 goals respectively.
He has previously received national team call-ups both at the Ghana U-20 and U-23 levels in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
Grant Matsiko
Vipers SC on July 21, 2023, completed the signing of right-back Grant Matsiko on a two-year employment contract, which will run till 2025.
Matsiko is the club’s fifth signing in the ongoing transfer window after Giancarlo Lopez Rodriguez, Luiz Otavio Santos de Araujo commonly known as Tinga, Richard Matovu and David Bagoole.
He has spent the past two seasons at neighbours Wakiso Giants FC where he has been a major hit, especially last season.
Matsiko was named in the StarTimes Uganda Premier League (SUPL) team of the season at the Pilsner UPL Awards, asserting his name as one of the finest players in his position in the country.
“I’m very happy to be here and I want to win a lot with this club because it’s an amazing club.”
“I want to be a big part of this club and now, I have to level up and show another personality of me on the pitch because this is a demanding & ambitious team.”
He will be expected to vie for a starting berth with Ashraf Mandela, who won both the league and the Uganda Cup with the Venoms last season.
He is also a former player at Kigezi Homeboyz, captaining them till 2021, before joining Wakiso Giants FC.
Quick Glance — Grant Matsiko
Full Names: Grant Matsiko
Date of Birth: July 23rd, 1996
Age: 26 years
Nationality: Ugandan
Role: Right back
Current Team: Vipers SC
Former Teams: Kigezi Homeboyz, Wakiso Giants FC.
Patrick Mbowa swoop
On July 25, the club wrapped up the signing of central defender Patrick Paul Mbowa on a two-year employment contract.
The player, who can also comfortably operate as a central midfielder, has joined the Venoms from Uganda Revenue Authority Football Club (URA FC), where he has been plying his trade for the last four seasons.
He comes in to bolster both the backline and middle of the park with his renowned versatility and superb game-reading abilities.
Before joining URA FC, Mbowa featured for the now-defunct Victoria University in the Uganda Premier League (UPL), underlining his vast experience at the top level.
Mbowa is expected to compete for a starting berth with Hillary Mukundane, Rogers Torach, Murushid Juuko and Livingstone Mulondo in defence.
Meanwhile in midfield, he will also have a healthy competition with the likes of Siraje Ssentamu, Marvin Joseph Youngman and Angolan international Nzau Miguel Lutumba among others.
Mbowa is the Venoms’ sixth signing in the ongoing transfer window after Giancarlo Lopez Rodriguez, Luiz Otavio Santos de Araujo alias Tinga, Richard Matovu, David Bagoole and Grant Matsiko.
Quick Glance — Patrick Mbowa
Full Names: Patrick Paul Mbowa
Date of Birth: November 15th, 1995
Age: 27 years
Nationality: Ugandan
Role: Center back/Midfielder
Current Team: Vipers SC
Former Teams: URA FC, Victoria University (Defunct), SC Villa.
Mauritanian native Mohamed Salem Ekbad
Vipers Sports Club on July 26 rounded off the capture of Mauritanian national, Mohamed Salem Ekbad, making him the first player from the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to sign for a Ugandan club.
The 25-year-old, who is primarily an attacker, has penned down a two-year employment contract with the StarTimes Uganda Premier League (SUPL) champions.
He joins from Mauritania League 1 side, FC Nouadhibou where he plied his trade for the past two seasons, winning the league title twice.
Ekbad netted 17 times for the country’s giants across two league campaigns, including 11 goals in the final season.
Progressive career
Previously, the forward featured for FC Sahel in the 2018/19 season and helped them qualify to the first division as champions, finding the back of the net 12 times during the season.
In the following campaign, which was FC Sahel’s first in the topflight, he struck eight times.
In their second year at the top, Ekbad scored 13 goals and got selected to the national Under 23 side of the North West Africa country and the national team (locally based players).
This year, he featured for Nouadhibou in the World Arab Club Champions Cup qualifiers, before they got knocked out by Al Kuwait.
Overall, he has scored 50 league goals for two teams across five seasons.
He is the latest to the absolutely stacked yet competitive forward line of Vipers that already boasts of enthralling talents in Karim Ndugwa, Cromwell Rwothomio, Yunus Sentamu, Desire Tety, Milton Karisa and Giancarlo Lopez Rodriguez, among others.
Quick Glance — Mohamed Ekbad
Full Names: Mohamed Salem Ekbad
Date of Birth: February 19th, 1998
Age: 25 years
Nationality: Mauritanian
Role: Forward
Current Team: Vipers SC
Former Teams: FC Nouadhibou, FC Sahel
By Vipers SC