Work starts now - coach Sébastien

Seven years later, the Championship of African Nations (Chan) remains a monster for Uganda Cranes.
Thursday’s last-minute defeat to Namibia eliminated Uganda and ensured that for the fourth successive tournament, Cranes will leave the competition after playing strictly three matches.
Uganda has made qualification to Chan a habit, and early elimination a custom.

Hurting man
New coach Sébastien Desabre, whose reputation was not tarnished despite the early exit given how he had little to do with the organisation of this team, was nonetheless at pains to explain Uganda’s poor show.
“I feel sad for the fans here and the ones at home and the nation at large,” the 40-year-old remarked at the post-match press conference.
“However my job begins now. This is the start of my term as Uganda Cranes coach and I will continue monitoring the players we have used at Chan as well as the watch the rest of the Uganda Premier League.”
Sébastien was disappointed that the pattern of the Zambia game was replicated in the second group match with Uganda started brightly but fizzling out towards the end.

Task ahead
“I have seen the challenge at hand and have a fair understanding of the task ahead. But the hard work begins right now.”

In all four Chan tournaments Uganda has featured in and played a combined 11 games, Cranes have only registered one victory – achieved at the South Africa 2014 edition when the team beat Burkina Faso 2-1 thanks to a Yunus Ssentamu brace.

Uganda has now suffered seven losses at Chan and played three stalemates.

It is a poor record and the technical team has its work cut out if Cranes are to make an impression at the next edition that will be hosted by Ethiopia in 2020.

Tomorrow night’s game against a hapless Ivory Coast team may have Sebastien fielding players who have not had playing time at the tournament.

In all four Chan tournaments Uganda has featured in and played a combined 11 games, Cranes have only registered one victory – achieved at the South Africa 2014 edition when the team beat Burkina Faso 2-1 thanks to a Yunus Ssentamu brace.

Hatful of defeats
Uganda has now suffered seven losses at Chan and played three stalemates.
It is a poor record and the technical team has its work cut out if Cranes are to make an impression at the next edition that will be hosted by Ethiopia in 2020.
Tomorrow night’s game against a hapless Ivory Coast team may have Sébastien fielding players who have not had playing time at the tournament.

UGANDA AT CHAN
2011
Uganda 0-2 Algeria
Sudan 1-0 Uganda
Gabon 2-1 Uganda
2014
Uganda 2-1 Burkina Faso
Zimbabwe 0-0 Uganda
Morocco 3-1 Uganda
2016
Mali 2-2 Uganda
Uganda 0-1 Zambia
Uganda 1-1 Zimbabwe
2018
Zambia 3-1 Uganda
Uganda 0-1 Namibia

Today at 10pm on SuperSport
Mauritania vs. Guinea
Sudan vs. Morocco
Tomorrow at 10pm on SuperSport
Uganda vs. Ivory Coast
Zambia vs. Namibia

CHAN 2018 - GROUP B

P W D L F A Pts
Zambia 2 2 0 0 5 1 6
Namibia 2 2 0 0 2 0 6
Uganda 2 0 0 2 1 4 0
Ivory Coast 2 0 0 2 0 3 0

MARRAKECH NOTEBOOK

Pronunciation of names

The stadium announcer of games at Sport de Marrakech stadium has left us in stitches with the way he pronounces names of Uganda Cranes players when reading team line ups or substitutions. It has not been uncommon to hear Muzamir Mutyaba’s second name pronounced as Matuyaaba. When Nelson Ssenkatuka was coming on against Namibia, we were told that Senkotuuka was being introduced by Uganda. It made very hilarious hearing seeing names twisted and turned into something else. Maybe that is how we also struggle when reading out names from other African countries. The only name they got right was Sébastien Desabre’s, because – I think – he is French.

Free entrance

Not so many locals are interested in games when Morocco is not playing. So organisers have made it free entrance to try and fill the seats in the 45,240 Sport de Marrakech stadium. On Thursday night, we flashed our tickets at the gate but were told to retain them as we entered the stadium. The tickets were not needed. It was a free-for-all affair. And anyway, it is unlikely that many locals in Marrakech would be interested in braving the cold to watch Uganda and Namibia in a late night game. Logically it makes little sense. Caf’s decision to open the gates was in the end a no-brainer.

Ugandans head back

For Uganda Cranes fans, Chan was important for as long as Uganda was in Marrakech. Had the Nambia match ended in a 0-0 stalemate, Uganda would have had an outside chance for qualification. Basically Cranes would still be interested in the competition. But Cranes are now out and the small legion of Cranes fans are either back or on their way after cutting their trip prematurely. “There is no point in staying for the Ivory Coast game on Monday,” one observed. It was a painful, early exit that has come to typically define Uganda’s participation at African Nations Championship tournaments.