URA's CAF tie hangs in balance

 By Swalley Kenyi

Uncertainty continues to overshadow URA’s CAF Champions League first round return leg match against Djoliba due to the current political unrest in Mali.

However the Malian club insists URA should travel to play in Bamako despite the stormy political situation in the coun­try.

URA FC had planned to leave for the West African country on Wednesday or Thursday for the game due on Sunday.

But the Mali Football Federation’s decision to call off their national league because of the political trouble in the country and regional group ECOWAS’ threats against the military junta have cast further doubt on whether the match would be played.

CAF has not responded to URA FC, who wrote through the national foot­ball federation FUFA seeking guid­ance from the continental soccer governing body over the match.

URA secretary Henry Mayeku said that they have not yet booked their travel tickets for fear of losing money to Ethiopian Airlines.

On the pitch Masaka LC football club shocked the reigning national champions URA with a convincing 2-0 defeat in the Uganda Super League.

Mustafa Kasolo’s first minute goal disoriented URA and Rashid Kyambadde added the second just before half time to highlight Alex Isabirye’s woes both in the CAF Champions League and the Super League.

Masaka coach Kefa Kisala said that it was his superior tactics that led URA to play like they were on an unfamiliar ground. URA first played home games at the Masaka Recre­ational grounds as Lyantonde/URA in 2002.

“I took time to study Revenue (URA FC) and I knew they only had big name players on paper. I had no doubt that if I talked to the club (Masaka) management to mo­tivate the players before the match, we would beat them. That is what I did,” Kisala revealed on Saturday.

He said that Masaka managed to mobilise about sh2m from the area politicians including the Vice President Edward Ssekandi to motivate his players.