Let’s embrace Cecafa 2012

After Afcon 2013 qualification agony, this Cecafa is an opportunity for Cranes.

We have won Cecafa so many times that it no longer holds any excitement for us. The celebrations are short lived as if we are desperate to return to the relative comfort of our conversations about the lifespan of the Chelsea managerial job.

Perhaps the frequency with which we win this tournament is responsible for this lack of interest. Nonetheless, you would expect that our exceptional record in the tournament would call for more than fleeting attention. But then again, it must be said that as emotional highs go, after the near-misses of the last two Afcon campaigns, Cecafa represents an anti-climax of sorts. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Come-down or not, the basic facts are that we are record champions and will probably win this edition, too. Therefore, Cecafa offers us the luxury of assessing ourselves in an environment devoid of failure and bitterness and that can’t be a bad thing. Yes, the frequency with which we win may have the overall effect of watering down our achievements, but to win any tournament calls for a certain amount of consistency and that is good for our overall football development.

Yes, there is a certain amount of mediocrity to be expected of teams like The Ocean Stars of Somalia who arrived in Kampala without a coach, shopped around and secured Mister Sam Ssimbwa (how many teams does this man coach in a Calendar year?) and promptly got walloped by 4-1 by Victoria University in their first warm up game. Even if their determination to participate should be lauded (they have been in Kampala for two weeks supposedly acclimatizing) it still makes one think why they don’t take off time to build capacity rather than make the numbers as if there were obligated to do so.

So obviously we don’t live in exalted company but you play whoever is put before you, right? Besides, the likes of Somalia, Eritrea, and Zanzibar only represent one side of the coin. There are also teams to reckon with like Rwanda, the losing finalists last year, who are by many means are also this years’ most technically advanced side. Uganda might be top dogs but given the rate of Rwanda’s development, it is a status they can’t take for granted much longer. Remember though that Rwanda was yesterday’s Somalia! There is hope for all around.

Back to The Cranes, I quite enjoy the fact that with increasing frequency this tournament is being used to groom new faces. It offers an opportunity for ‘new’ talent to showcase their abilities. Moses Oloya and Emmanuel Okwi were not unknowns but last years’ tournament established their status as top notch players. And in line with that, you had all better watch out for midfielder Brian Majwega, and I am assuming here that the technical team will be adventurous enough to give him a sniff of the action.

And so as we kick off today afternoon with the ‘old enemy’ let us lap up the opportunity to see tomorrow’s stars unveiled before us. So it can’t be such a bad thing this Cecafa, besides it also offers a temporary lull in the sickening struggle that the rights to run local football have become. See you all at Namboole.

banturakim@gmail.com