Uganda Cranes return to the Africa Cup of Nations after a torturous 39-year wait. It will be the sixth appearance for the East Africa’s emerging powerhouse at the grandest continental stage since Ethiopia 1962 where they finished 4th.
Their best and last show came in the Ghana 1978 where they went all the way – brushing aside mighty Nigeria in the semis, only to be stopped by the hosts 2-0 in the final.
Majority of the present generation Ugandan football enthusiasts were not yet born.
Road to Gabon
After two heartbreaks in the 2012 and 2013 campaigns, in which they were denied on the final day by neighbors Kenya and Zambia respectively, they would finally bury the ghosts in the 2017 qualifiers – breaking the long standing jinx.
The arrival of 47-year-old Serbian coach Milutin “Micho” Sredojovic in May 2013, after the second failed attempt under Scottish gaffer Bobby Williamson, injected a fresh breath of hope in a nation that had started to believe they were under some spell.
He commenced the road to Gabon 2017 positively – picking maximum points in the first two matches of group “D” with wins over Botswana (2-0) and Comoros (1-0). However, they were derailed by Burkina Faso, who beat them 1-0 through a questionable penalty at their backyard before forcing a barren draw in Kampala four days later.
With the panic button pressed and all signs pointing to another devastating campaign, the Cranes bounced back against all odds – silencing Botswana 2-1 in Francistown to get back on track.
And for the third time on the trot, they needed a straight win on the final day to sail through.
A win against perceived minnows Comoros was all they needed to actualize the dream, and when the hour finally arrived on Sunday, September 4, 2016, prodigy Faruk Miya was the hero – firing home from close range the only goal of the game in the 36th minute to book the spot as one of the two best group finishers.
Tough group
Uganda remain in group “D” in Gabon, a group almost similar to their Russia 2018 World Cup’s, alongside record winners Egypt, Ghana and Mali.
Even though they are perceived underdogs in the group, the Cranes have shown tremendous improvement against the big names, especially Ghana, whom they have beaten once and held twice in the last three outings.
The Cranes will kick-start their return against the Black Stars of Ghana on January 17 at Stade de Port-Gentil, then play Egypt in their second group game at the same venue on January 21, before finishing against Mali four days later in Oyem.
Not much will be demanded from them, nonetheless, the unpredictable nature of the game demands that they must never be ignored or taken lightly.
The Squad
Uganda team comprises a blend of youth and experience – a fairly gifted side with a good number of players plying their trade outside the country.
Despite not enjoying much playing time in Belgium with Standard Liege, Faruk Miya has had a big impact in the team, and is one of the players to watch. A part from the all-important goal against Comoros, the former Vipers SC forward recently scored against Congo Brazzaville in the Russia 2018 campaign.
Skipper Godfrey Massa, despite his advanced age, on a good day will deliver the goods. He too is not a regular with South Africa’s Premier Soccer League newbies Baroka FC, but has always donned the national colors, and is the all-time top scorer in AFCON qualifiers for Uganda.
Their backline consisting Juuko Murushid, Nicholas Wadada, Dennis Iguma and Joseph Ochaya is probably their strongest point – letting in few goals.
All eyes will definitely be on Mamelodi Sundowns’ goalkeeper Denis Onyango. The burly shot stopper had a memorable 2016 season – winning the African Champions League with “the Brazilians”, and is in contention for the African Player of the Year based in Africa during CAF gala awards later today in Abuja, Nigeria.
Exciting Luwagga Kizito, Khalid Aucho and veteran Tony Mawejje are a sure bet in the midfield.
Preparations
A provisional side has been camping in Tunisia since December 28, 2016 and on Wednesday, January 4, 2017 played a warm-up against the hosts – losing 2-0.
The final 23-man team was named thereafter, and will later proceed to Abu Dhabi for further friendlies against defending AFCON champions Ivory Coast and European opposition Slovakia.
The Provisional Squad:
1/ODONGKARA ROBERT
2/OCHAN BENJAMIN
3/JAMAL SALIM MAGOLA
4/IGUMA DENIS
5/WADADA NICHOLAS
6/OCHAYA JOSEPH
7/BATAMBUZE SHAFIQ
8/JUUKO MURUSHID
9/ISINDE ISAAC
10/WASWA HASSAN
11/AWANYI TIMOTHY
12/AUCHO KHALID
13/AZIRA MIKE
14/MAWEJJE TONY
15/KIZITO GEOFFREY
16/OLOYA MOSES
17/MUTYABA MUZAMIL
18/WALUSIMBI GODFREY
19/KIZITO LUWAGA WILIAM
20/LUBEGA EDRISA
21/SHABAN MOHAMED
22/SERUNKUMA GEOFFREY
23/MIYA FAROUK
24/SENTAMU YUNUS
25/MASSA GEOFFREY
26/ONYANGO DENIS
Players on standby
1/WATENGA ISMA
2/MUKIIBI RONALD
3/VITALIS TABU
4/NSIBAMBI DERRICK
The Final 23:
1 – Robert Odongkara (Saint George, Ethiopia), 2 – Joseph Ochaya (KCCA), 3 – Geoffrey Kizito (Than Quang Ninh, Vietnam), 4 – Murushid Juuko (Simba, Tanzania), 5 – Isaac Isinde, 6 – Tony Mawejje (Thotur, Iceland), 7 – Sentamu Junior Yunus (Ilves, Finnland), 8 – Khalid Aucho (Baroka, South Africa), 9 -Geofrey Sserunkuma (KCCA, Uganda), 10 – Luwagga William Kizito (Rio Ave, Portugal), 11– Geoffrey Massa (Baroka, South Africa), 12 – Denis Iguma (Al Ahed, Lebanon), 13 – Moses Oloya (Hanoi T and T, Vietnam), 14 – Nico Wadada Wakiro (Vipers, Uganda), 15 – Godfrey Walusimbi (Gor Mahia, Kenya), 16 – Hassan Mawanda Wasswa (Nijmeh, Lebabon),17 – Faruku Miya (Standard Liege, Belgium), 18 – Denis Onyango (Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa), 19 – Magoola Salim Omar (El Merriekh, Sudan), 20 – Awany Timothy Dennis (KCCA, Uganda), 21– Muhammad Shaban (Onduparaka, Uganda), 22 – Batambuze Shafik (Tusker, Kenya), 23 – Azira Michael (Colorado Rapids, USA)
