Facing Pharaohs; old wounds might feel fresh

GABON.

When Fufa outlined their preliminary schedule for preparing the national team for the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in November, certain things stood out.

First there was a camp in Spain that never happened and an international friendly against a European side in Slovakia among others.

At par with that were fixtures against Libya, Tunisia and Ivory Coast. The latter game against the reigning African champions offered a good chance to gauge coach Micho Sredojevic’s plan for games against Ghana and Mali.

The three sides come from West Africa and Ivorians are a cross between those two as they combine both brain and brawn, something the other might offer in differing proportions.

6-0?
Libya and Tunisia were intended to be the best audition for today’s group D clash against seven-time African champions Egypt. Libya didn’t happen while Tunisia beat Uganda 2-0 to remind Micho of the task that lay ahead.

No region has inflicted losses as bad as Cranes suffered at the hands of North African sides. These were most prominent in the 90s.

On different occasions, Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles and Egypt’s Pharaohs beat Cranes 6-0 when the national team visited the North. They went further by dominating ties at Nakivubo.

Ugandan clubs weren’t spared either as they shipped as many as the Polly Ouma-tutored Cranes during qualification for the 1996 Afcon edition.

The scorelines have since been trimmed but the mental scars remain prominent as much as the 90s stories of alien food, not being used to playing under floodlights and being driven for obscenely long distances on matchdays haven’t run out of story tellers.

Micho details
Collectively, the margins in African football have been erased and Micho is among the architects of this. Many will attribute his knowledge about African football and the penchant to study the opponent as crucial for ending Uganda’s 39-year wait for the Nations Cup.

He doesn’t have the finishing prowess of Magid Musisi, the skills and eye of Jackson Mayanja or even the class of Ibrahim Sekagya but Micho has more.

The camaraderie of this team may trump many and their inside information about what they Pharaohs can do today at the Stade Port-Gentil, thanks to Micho, is a start.

Also humans tend to give their best when fighting for their survival. Having lost 1-0 to Ghana in the tournament opener on Tuesday, Uganda will literally be fighting for their lives.

Whether what they are able to give and achieve will be enough to beat a nemesis as big as Egypt is a different matter.

Recalls
Micho is likely to recall midfielder Khalid Aucho and defender Muruhsid Jjuko following suspensions. However, the biggest question that often faces Ugandan sides against such sides is whether to attack or defend more.

Neither has served its purpose before including cases where Micho’s predecessor Bobby Williiamson fielded up to seven defenders during the 2011 Nile Basin Cup but still lost.

It hasn’t been any better even in age group tournaments as Uganda haven’t beaten the Pharoahs since a 5-1 rout in 1965 in any competition of significance.

Generations of Ugandans may not even find a positive result to pick on. Many will be encouraged by the situation as survival means everything and Egypt only returned to the Nations Cup for the first time since 2010.

This is a young team that laboured to a point against the brute force, defensive grit and sometimes the speed of Mali on Tuesday.
Of course, Uganda is not Mali but Micho would rather face Mohammed Salah than the legendary Mohamed Aboutrika.

It’s almost incomprehensible to see Cranes pick a positive result today but there is everything here in Gabon to suggest the today’s players have no scars from past massacres.