FUFA should forget Mukasa

By James BakamaFUFA’s decision last week to start early preparations for the Africa Nations Cup was one of the best to have been conjured up by the men at Nakulabye.Poor planning has been the main reason why the Cranes have missed the continental finals since 1978.But, my anxiety evaporated when I saw the name of Andrew Mukasa on the squad for the qualifiers that kickoff in September.Not that I have anything against Mukasa, on his day, he is actually a coach’s dream.But, there is that other side of the lanky Express marksman.Much as Mukasa can blast in goals at will, he can also with the slightest swing in moods, transform into the biggest liability.If you have any doubts, ask Express. His former club SC Villa also has a story to tell.Imagine the final score if Mukasa had played the away match against Al-Mehalla of Egypt.These are ‘ifs’ that will continue haunting the two clubs for the simple fact that Mukasa has, for some reasons, refused to play away matches.If his case was anywhere near Dennis Bergkamp's fear of flying, then, maybe Mukasa’s case would be excusable. But, for some inexplicable reason, Mukasa will simply not cross Uganda’s borders.And mind you, this is just one of the complexities that aggregate Mukasa into the enigma that he is.Remember the previous African Cup of Nations qualifiers when the striker’s instincts preferred a Bika match to a national team build up? What about the outburst that twice had him abandoning SC Villa?So, if Villa, which is believed to home Uganda’s best football managers can fail to tame Mukasa, how sure are we that FUFA can handle him?True, there is no genius without a tincture of madness. Diego Maradona and Paul Gascoigne are cases in point.But, the difference with these is that when it came to playing for the nation or club, they did their thing to perfection.But can Uganda afford to be held at ransom by Mukasa?jbakama@newvision.co.ug