Coach Bulega looking forward to Cosafa Challenge

Kampala.

Crested Cranes coach Faridah Bulega has welcomed the chance to have her team’s progress tested at the sixth edition of the Cosafa Championships due September 12-22 in South Africa.
Cameroon and the Uganda women’s football team are guests following Kenya’s fourth-placed showing at last year’s edition that was hosted Zimbabwe.
Uganda were drawn into Group C alongside 2011 champions Zimbabwe, 2006 runners-up Namibia and minnows Swaziland in draws held in Johannesburg yesterday.
It is the first time the women’s national team return to South Africa where they participated in the 2000 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations.
Uganda then lost 3-0 to South Africa, drew 2-2 with Zimbabwe.
They also beat Reunion 2-1 thanks to goals from now Crested Cranes fitness coach Olive Mbekeka and Annet Nakimbugwe but missed out on a second round place to Zimbabwe on goal difference.

Decent chance
Nakimbugwe’s daughter Hasifah Nassuna could captain the Crested Cranes in the Nelson Mandela Bay next month. How time flies!
“For us this is a good opportunity to measure ourselves against the top teams in another region or even Africa as a whole,” coach Faridah Bulega, said.
Her team finished second in the Cecafa Women Championships held in Rwanda last month but this will be a bigger test. Zambia and Cameroon qualified for the 2018 AWCON in November in Ghana and will face off in one the most anticipated Group B games in this tournament.
Hosts and defending champions South Africa are the top seeds and have won four of five trophies in this tournament.
Games will be hosted at the Wolfson and Gelvandale stadiums.
“You can see the kind of opposition we will come up against. We know we are capable of good performances and results but we shall appreciate whatever we put up at the tournament,” Bulega said.