Cranes’ future much brighter
Dec 20, 2009
<b>OPINION<br>By Louis Jadwong</b><br>SPORTS EDITOR<br><br>IT is understandable that the nation did not know just how much to celebrate after the Uganda Cranes won an 11th CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup a week ago in Nairobi.
OPINION
By Louis Jadwong
SPORTS EDITOR
IT is understandable that the nation did not know just how much to celebrate after the Uganda Cranes won an 11th CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup a week ago in Nairobi.
It is a Nations Cup place the country is actually yearning for as the clock ticks towards a 32 year absence from the event.
Uganda is ranked 75th in world football and should be competing at the Nations Cup finals, if not the World Cup itself. Fans to note that lower ranked nations like Angola (95), Zambia (84), South Africa (85) Korea DPR (86) and New Zealand (82) are at the Nations Cup and World Cup.
If not for maintaining a winning mentality, one big reason Ugandans must celebrate the recent CECAFA victory is the new crop of genuinely young players coach Robert Williamson has unveiled.
One big lesson from the last Nations Cup campaign was that, the national soccer side invested too much faith in a select band of foreign based stars –– and one coach. The team had poor results whenever one of the professional players had a bad day, or did not turn up.
Other than Geoffrey Massa, none of the squad that won the CECAFA is on the Cranes starting XI. The performance particularly of goalkeeper Hamza Muwonge, defenders Godfrey Walusimbi and Joseph Owino and midfielders Tony Mawejje and Stephen Bengo was outstanding.
With the five, Williamson and his team of assistant coaches have a squad to build around inspirational captain Ibrahim Sekagya when the next round of qualifiers comes around.
By Louis Jadwong
SPORTS EDITOR
IT is understandable that the nation did not know just how much to celebrate after the Uganda Cranes won an 11th CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup a week ago in Nairobi.
It is a Nations Cup place the country is actually yearning for as the clock ticks towards a 32 year absence from the event.
Uganda is ranked 75th in world football and should be competing at the Nations Cup finals, if not the World Cup itself. Fans to note that lower ranked nations like Angola (95), Zambia (84), South Africa (85) Korea DPR (86) and New Zealand (82) are at the Nations Cup and World Cup.
If not for maintaining a winning mentality, one big reason Ugandans must celebrate the recent CECAFA victory is the new crop of genuinely young players coach Robert Williamson has unveiled.
One big lesson from the last Nations Cup campaign was that, the national soccer side invested too much faith in a select band of foreign based stars –– and one coach. The team had poor results whenever one of the professional players had a bad day, or did not turn up.
Other than Geoffrey Massa, none of the squad that won the CECAFA is on the Cranes starting XI. The performance particularly of goalkeeper Hamza Muwonge, defenders Godfrey Walusimbi and Joseph Owino and midfielders Tony Mawejje and Stephen Bengo was outstanding.
With the five, Williamson and his team of assistant coaches have a squad to build around inspirational captain Ibrahim Sekagya when the next round of qualifiers comes around.