Former AFC Leopards head coach Ivan Minnaert has guided Vipers SC to the 2025/26 Uganda Premier League title, capping off an impressive debut season in charge of the Ugandan giants.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe Belgian tactician sealed the league crown on Tuesday, 19 May, after Vipers produced a commanding 3-0 victory over Maroons FC to successfully defend their title and secure the clubโs eighth league championship.McCarthy to face South Africa as Harambee Stars land tricky AFCON 2027 qualifying groupMinnaert, who previously handled AFC Leopards in the Kenyan top flight, was appointed Vipers head coach on July 18, 2025, succeeding John Luyinda and Fred Muhumuza, who had been serving in an interim capacity.The experienced 59-year-old manager has since masterminded a remarkable campaign with the Venoms squad as they mounted a successful title charge against close challengers KCCA FC.##NAJAVA_MECA_9758182##Against Maroons, Vipers delivered a performance worthy of champions. Goals from Yunus Sentamu and Usama Arafat in the first half handed the hosts a comfortable advantage before Karim Watambala added the third after the break to wrap the win in style. The victory saw Vipers open an unassailable five-point lead at the summit with one match left to play, officially confirming them as league champions before the final round of fixtures.Meet Stoke City teenage defender included in latest Harambee Stars squadIn his maiden season at the helm, Minnaert has so far overseen 29 league matches, registering 18 wins, the joint highest tally in the division alongside KCCA FC, while also recording 10 draws and suffering just a single defeat throughout the campaign. His sideโs consistency proved decisive in the title race as Vipers maintained their grip at the top during the crucial closing stages of the season.๐ | ๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐ผ๐๐๐8๐๐!!! ๐ฅFULL TIME: Maroons FC 0-3 Vipers SC (โฝ๏ธ โ Sentamu, Usama, Watambala)We are officially the 2025/26 Ugandan Premier League champions. ๐ช๐ฟ๐๐ฟ#VenomsUpdates || #OneTeamOneDream || pic.twitter.com/cyPLrHIjt3โ ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ (@VipersSC) May 19, 2026 Vipers will conclude their title-winning campaign with a home fixture against seven-time Ugandan champions Express FC as they seek to finish the season on a high. Reacting after clinching the title, Minnaert took to his official Facebook page to celebrate the achievement while also aiming a subtle dig at critics who doubted his credentials.Nine big names missing from McCarthy's latest Harambee Stars squadโThey talked, we worked. They doubted, we delivered. 2025/26 Uganda Premier League Champions. Now you know why winners fail, but losers hide. Venoms mentality.โThe title triumph further strengthens Minnaertโs reputation as one of the experienced foreign tacticians to have left a mark on East African football, having now added a Ugandan league crown to his managerial rรฉsumรฉ after previous coaching stints across the African continent, having won the 2024/25 Liberian First Division title with FC Fassell and the 2020/21 Libyan top-flight title with Al-Ittihad Tripoli.