Desabre offers audition to foreign-based players

Kampala.

Only four local players – Abraham Ndugwa, Nicholas Wadada, Milton Karisa and Timothy Awany – made the cut in Uganda Cranes head coach Sebastian Desabre’s maiden team summon yesterday.
The 41-year-old Frenchman reasoned he had seen enough of most of the local based players in Chan and during league matches and it was time he tried out the foreign based players.
“I’m monitoring a group of 50 players but at the moment I need only 23. I have summoned four local based, 14 from Africa and the rest outside Africa,” he told the press at Mengo yesterday.
Desabre surprisingly summoned clubless defender Isaac Isinde and midfielder Khalid Aucho who has just got a lifeline in the Indian Premier League with East Bengal.
“I know the history of the players I have summoned. The past is past we are looking for a new era. I have told these players my objective and the fact that they must have discipline to be on the team.”

Impressive Isinde
Desabre says the players he has summoned must prove to him 100 percent that they deserve to be in the team he is preparing to take on Tanzania in September and Lesotho in October in the 2019 Afcon qualifiers.
“I was impressed by Isinde in the Fufa Drum tourney and the fact that he is training with Bul. I have talked with Aucho before he went to India,” he added. The surprise inclusion is that of Masavu forward Ndugwa who was watched by the Frenchman in the club’s goalless draw against KCCA earlier this month.
He has scored six goals for the relegation threatened side and plays in a number of forward positions with his favourite being off the main striker.
Two friendly games have consequently been lined up with Cranes taking on Malawi on March 27 at Namboole while the opponent for the March 24 game is yet to be known according to Fufa communications manager Ahmed Hussein. Training starts on March 20 at Namboole.

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BUILD-UP FRIENDLIES

Goalkeepers: Denis Onyango, Robert Odongkara, Salim Jamal
Defenders: Nicholas Wadada, Denis Guma, Godfrey Walusimbi, Murushid Jjuuko, Bevis Mugabi, Isaac Isinde, Alex Kakuba, Timothy Awany
Midfielders: Joseph Ochaya, Hassan Wasswa, Godfrey Kizito, Kizito Luwagga, Farouk Miya, Abraham Ndugwa, Milton Karisa, Khalid Aucho
Strikers: Emma Okwi, Hood Kaweesa, Yunus Sentamu, Edrisa Lubega

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