Tickets, video centre of Fufa, Lorenzen fallout

Werder Bremen’s Lorenzen trains with Cranes in May. Coach Micho says Cranes will miss the extra impetus he would bring to the team. PHOTO BY EDDIE CHICCO

What you need to know:

Soccer.Player refuses to rule out playing for Uganda again, saying he is only disturbed by Fufa failing to live by their word.

KAMPALA. England-born Melvyn Lorenzen has denied reports that it has come down to his German mother overruling his Ugandan father regarding committing his football future to the Cranes.

The Werder Bremen striker, 21, also revealed that he has not ruled out ever playing for his father’s country again despite telling Cranes coach Micho Sredojevic that he will not be available for the August 30 friendly against Kenya, and certainly not Comoros.
He instead says it is because of Fufa’s failure to honour their part of the bargain that he was at crosswords when Micho called him this week to see if he had made up his mind on playing for Uganda.
“I said I couldn’t even make up my mind because you guys haven’t satisfied your part of the deal,” Lorenzen, as revealed to Daily Monitor, told Micho.
“So I was forced to say no, for next game, but I also made it clear that it isn’t my final decision if we can work out the issues.”

Explaining Lorenzen’s absence from his squad at Mengo on Wednesday, Micho said “Melvyn had an accident in July and I thought his mind was not ready for the game. He also has to sort a few details with the mum because the dad wants the kid to play for us.”
A night incident, which Lorenzen preferred not to discuss, indeed happened outside his apartment in Germany but when asked about his mum and allegiance, he said: “No, my mum has nothing to do with it.”

In Zimbabwe
Lorenzen debuted for Uganda in a friendly away in Zimbabwe in May after training with the Cranes in Kampala.
In the build-up to that friendly before the Cranes proceeded to beat Botswana 2-1 in Francistown, Lorenzen was consistent that he would make his decision on committing to Uganda after the game against Zimbabwe.
After that game, both parties were happy, Lorenzen feeling “honoured to play for my nation of descent, but in order to help me take such a big decision, I definitely need more time to reflect.”
Micho said “We shall definitely miss the extra impetus he would bring to the team as was seen in the friendly match against Zimbabwe.”

After Zimbabwe
Lorenzen further explained to this newspaper this week.

“I played the game like it was agreed. But after the game when I thought I’m going to fly back (to Germany), I recognised quickly that nothing is planned for my return,” he said.

“So I went to coach Micho and president (Fufa, Moses Magogo) and said that I want to go back like I had told everybody. They seemed pretty surprised by that and expected me to play the next game as well. After a longer talk with both I made my point clear and decided to book the flights on my own because I couldn’t rely on the travel manager from Fufa who made us a lot of trouble.

“We (with his agent) went back to Germany and I waited for the travel money plus the video recordings for the game, which were promised (by Fufa) to help me make my decision. Time went by and nothing happened. I asked them a couple of times but I just got excuses.”

As agreed between the parties, Fufa paid for two tickets for Lorenzen and his agent to Kampala, plus accommodation, but it is the return tickets to Germany that are still at large.
“My comment is we are concentrating on the Comoros game using the players available,” said Fufa president, Magogo, when asked to respond to the player’s concerns, “Such matters will be answered after the match.”
Martin Mutumba and Fabian Kizito are the most recent foreign-bred players of Ugandan descent that have represented the country only to fizzle out without notice.
Hope is that Bevis Mugabe, the latest call-up from the UK, and Lorenzen last the distance.