By Paul Mbuga

THE shock that accompanied Csaba Laszlo’s resignation must have passed by now, and the national football governing body, FUFA, must apply itself to the more demanding task of finding a new coach.

It is an exercise that leaves the federation with absolutely no room for error. Long-term ambitions are idealistic at this point; what is needed is for a sound tactician to ensure the Uganda Cranes safely negotiate their final Group Three qualifiers against Niger and Benin to advance to the ultimate phase of the 2010 Nations Cup/World Cup qualifiers.

While Sam Timbe and Mike Mutebi make a strong case for local coaches, there remains the strong possibility that the appointment of either could attract unnecessary club “politics”, so to say.

It is an institutional problem, rather than anything to do with the personalities of Timbe and Mutebi, so FUFA would do well to appoint a man who can rise above such distractions.

Micho Sredojevic represents a logical choice. Having coached in Uganda before, he is intimately familiar with the operation of our football industry, possesses incredible knowledge about local players, commands their respect, is tactically astute and is both financially and sentimentally within FUFA’s reach.

There were, of course, a number of unsavoury incidents he partook of during his time at SC Villa, but one can only hope he has since matured.

Whichever coach FUFA appoints — Tomislav Sivic is also highly-rated — a friendly match or two should be swiftly organized to aid his acclimatization.