Coach Okagbue says no one can sack him

Apr 25, 2001

CRANES coach Nigerian Harrison Okagbue yesterday said FUFA have no reason to think of sacking him. Okagbue said those calling him to quit can only be those who have been failures before.

By Peter Ekarot CRANES coach Nigerian Harrison Okagbue yesterday said FUFA have no reason to think of sacking him. Okagbue said those calling him to quit can only be those who have been failures before. "I want to assure you that nobody can sack me, not even Uganda Government. I am an obedient servant. I would have sat back and earned my money until November when my contract ends, but I am back to guide Cranes," he said. "I hope we beat Togo and Senegal remains our life line to demolish Togo on June 17 and we shall be in Mali," said Okagbue. "To compare me with the local coaches here is an insult. I have coached for 22 years. Our preparations were terrible and I didn't have Livingstone Mbabazi, Philip Obwiny and Hakim Magumba," he said of the Senegal game Uganda lost 3-0. "Abubaker Tabula's early red card killed us and that is when goals poured in. Senegal's refusal to push the game to Sunday had us punished for sloppy travel arrangements," said Okagbue. "I have never wept in my life, but I wept in Dakar. I told the boys to take it easy. If I was a saboteur as some people say, I would have accepted $10,000 that was offered to me by Dutch coach Clemence Westerhoff to Kobs to throw away an Olympic qualifier last year against Zimbabwe," he revealed. Zimbabwe beat Uganda 1-0 with the goal coming three minutes to the final whistle. Okagbue charged that unless government realises that soccer is a great public relations tool, Cranes fortune will not improve. Ends

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