Saturday date

Mar 22, 2001

FEDERATION of Senegalese Football(FSF) has declined to shift the African Nations Cup match with Uganda Cranes from Saturday to Sunday.

By Leo Kabunga and Peter Ekarot FEDERATION of Senegalese Football(FSF) has declined to shift the African Nations Cup match with Uganda Cranes from Saturday to Sunday. FUFA had requested that the match be played on Sunday to allow Cranes, who leave Kampala tomorrow, to get over jet lag. Cranes reach Dakar Friday night. But the Senegalese federation said that the request had come in too late since they had already advertised the match for Saturday. In a fax message to Kampala yesterday, the FSF director of administration, Oumar Ndiaye said the match would go on as earlier planned at Leopold Sedar Senghor stadium on Saturday at 5.00pm. FUFA secretary Godfrey Kisekka said at the weekly Nile Special Super League press conference at Lugogo that the Cranes could not leave for Dakar yesterday because of flight connection problems that would force them to stay a night in Abuja, Nigeria. He said that Cranes coach Harrison Okagbue and his deputy Leo Adraa have been advised not to rely on globe-trotting midfielder Livingstone Mbabazi until he reports in Dakar for the match. Cranes need a win to put their hopes of making it to the Nations Cup finals next year back on track. The Cranes contingent comprises 16 players, coach Okagbue, assistant Adraa, team doctor Fred Mukasa and team manager Sam Kabugo while FUFA technical vice president Polly Ouma is head of delegation. Meanwhile, Cranes players and officials got the final batch of their allowances yesterday. Players got an extra sh50,000 and officials sh100,000 each. Okagbue, who had quit camp on Tuesday after a fist-fight, got back to work and supervised a light training session yesterday afternoon. The entire team took the evening off to watch SC Villa play Express in a Welcome Cup tie at Namboole. The match ended in a goalless draw. "The mood in camp is okay after the payment, it's a gradual process,but the boys are now getting fired up," the coach said. Group five standings P W D L F A Pt Togo 2 1 1 0 3 0 4 Senegal 2 0 2 0 1 1 2 Uganda 2 0 1 1 1 4 1 Note: Guinea expelled The top two in each group qualify for the 2002 finals along with holders Cameroon and the hosts Mali. Ends

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