Cranes players return from Chan, focus shifts to league
Home sweet home. It was a low key reception at Entebbe International Airport as Uganda Cranes players returned from their woeful campaign at the African Nations Championship in Marrakech, Morocco yesterday were they finished with one goal and one point.
PHOTO BY JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
- Soccer. There is no time to cry over yet another poor campaign in Morocco as concentration moves to league duty.
- Competitive national duty returns in September when Uganda host Tanzania in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
KAMPALA.
The Uganda Cranes returned from yet another underwhelming African Nations Championship (Chan), in Morocco, yesterday with focus now shifting to the Azam Uganda Premier League (AUPL).
The Cranes lost two and drew another of their three group games to return home at the same stage for the fourth successive time.
The 23 players will have a few days off before joining other teammates at their clubs to continue half-season preparations ahead of the second round league resumption.
Tentatively, “the second round of the league resumes on February 10, next Saturday,” league CEO Bernard Bainamani told Daily Monitor yesterday. The fixtures are expected to be released within this week. Clubs continue to beef up their squads, with pace setters SC Villa not altering much in their squad. On the other hand, Mike Mutebi’s KCCA have unveiled at least six new acquisitions.
SC Villa, the 16-time record champions, ended the first round top of the standings on 32 points, three ahead of the defending champions, KCCA, after 15 matches.
Coach Wasswa Bbosa’s Blues are looking for the club’s first league title since 2004.
Then, former Uganda Cranes coach – now Orlando Pirates boss – Micho Sredojevic led them to four successive honours from 2001. Micho’s run was a continuation of successive league titles from 1998.
KCCA have since won five more league titles to cut the deficit to Villa’s 16 to just four. This will not need a reminder when the league resumes in a fortnight.
