THE Cranes wound up their first training session here more focused than ever for tomorrow’s battle with Angola.

After sound sleep, the team’s spirits were yesterday further lifted by what FUFA technical director Edgar Watson described as a “near-perfect” training ground.

“It’s a good ground that’s also close to our hotel,” said a vibrant Watson shortly after their session at Sao Paulo stadium.
His colleagues were equally in buoyant mood just like coach Laszlo Csaba, who had earlier been edgy about the team’s city outskirts residence.

The Cranes are staying at Park Hotel that was secured after a laborious advance search in the tourist-soaked Luanda by Watson.

But any worries of poor accommodation were rubbed away by skipper Ibrahim Sekagya, who said: “I had a good sleep. I am now focusing on the match.”

But all this followed an unpredictable trip that had team leader Rogers Mulindwa ambushed by surprise transit, accommodation and feeding charges in Addis Ababa and later Kinshasa.

“I can’t believe this, the travel agent assured us that all this had been catered for in Kampala,” Mulindwa complained.

There were also complications in the ticketing.  Emirates airlines’ officials at Entebbe insisted that only eight players were fully catered for.

It took frantic efforts to have the hiccups settled for the team to depart.
Uganda, that lies third on the Africa group three table, needs to win the game and top the group to be assured of qualification.

The BBC website on Thursday confirmed with CAF the qualification procedure for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. The New Vision this week explained that Uganda will only be safe by topping their group.

Earlier reports that even a third team would advance have been ruled out.

“The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has detailed a complicated formula to determine which teams progress to the second qualifying group stage for the 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations,” BBC said.

“But a fair amount of mathematics will be required to discover those best runners-up.”

The game will be relayed live on UBC TV.

World Cup qualifiers
Today
Zambia v Swaziland
B. Faso v Seychelles
Tunisia v Burundi
S. Africa v S. Leone
Nigeria v E.Guinea
Libya v Lesotho
Ghana v Gabon
Morocco v Rwanda
Senegal v Liberia
Sunday
Congo v Chad
Mali v Sudan
Cameroon v Tanzania
C. Verde v Mauritius
Zimbabwe v Kenya
Guinea v Namibia
Benin v Niger
Congo DR v Djibouti
Egypt v Malawi
Mozambique v M’gascar
Ivory Coast v Botswana
Ethiopia v Mauritania
In Luanda
Angola v Uganda
5.30pm, live on UBC TV

P W D L F A Pts
Angola 3 2 0 1 6 4 6
Benin 3 2 0 1 6 5 6
Uganda 3 2 0 1 5 5 6
Niger 3 0 0 3 2 5 0