Coach Mubiru set for longer Uganda Cranes stay

The only tangible reward Fufa can grant Abdallah Mubiru for his near-perfect contribution as Uganda Cranes interim coach since July 9 would be naming him John McKinstry’s auxiliary on Wednesday - but that too isn’t a forthright option.

On Wednesday, acting Fufa president Justus Mugisha, without expounding on Mubiru and hitherto deputy Livingstone Mbabazi’s fate, confirmed they are to name a fully-fledged technical team to work with the new coach adding that it’s an open chance to most of the local top coaches.

Fear of the known

SCORE understands at least 67 applicants tendered in their papers for Cranes head coaching job but there was no Ugandan. “I was hesitant to apply for the job because there is a perception of believing in foreign coaches. This is formed by the fact that by the time most fans started supporting Cranes, foreigners were in charge,” Mubiru says in an interview. Amongst the deputies, it is only Moses Basena that confirmed he had applied for the job.

“I also didn’t apply for the deputy role because I thought the head coach chooses his deputy so I invested all my energies in doing well on my Cranes assignment,” he added.

Mubiru implores Fufa to follow the Kenya, South Africa and Senegal script of trusting their indigenous coaches.
“There is no campaign that is too difficult for the local coaches. Look, the Afcon group we are in is easy. Beat South Sudan and Malawi, home and away and you have 12 points to take you to Cameroon even if you lost both ties against Burkina Faso,” he stresses.

Not taking chances

For his meticulous epoch with the Cranes, Mubiru should be shoe-in favourite to scoop the deputy Cranes coach slot on permanent basis but he has been there and seen that to make a blind rush.

“If they trust me again to serve I will work but the most important thing is that we have to first agree on many issues.
“We need to have a formal arrangement, my exact role should be stipulated and told how I would be assessed like it is with the head coach,” the Police coach emphasized.

Endless benefits

Mubiru has been in charge of the Cranes qualification to the Chan 2020 finals in Cameroon.
“In all this I credit Allah for granting me success and giving Fufa the courage to elect me even if my team (Police) had finished 11th in the league. My name is now known across East Africa and the job has given me confidence and also challenged to acquire more coaching badges in anticipation of a permanent job,” Mubiru expounded.

Police league struggles vs Cranes success

Mubiru refutes the claim that his Cranes duties infringed on the attention he gave his employers – Police – that currently sit second from bottom in the Uganda Premier League.

“I have a team of trusted coaching lieutenants in John Ayala, Richard Kansole and Pius Ngabo. No team has dominated us only that we don’t give a full fight to win games. We are going to improve soon because we have been having a ‘none-football situation’ rocking the team.

Mubiru’s games in charge of Cranes

Cosafa
Lesoth 0-0 Uganda (3-2 loss on penalties)
South Africa 1-1 (2-1 loss on penalties)
Cranes regional tours
Uganda Cranes 1-0 Western Region
Uganda Cranes 0-1 Kitara Region
Uganda Cranes 3-0 Northern Region

Chan
Somalia 1-3 Uganda
Uganda 4-1 Somalia
Burundi 0-3 Uganda
Uganda 3-0 Burundi
Internationally friendly
Kenya 1-1 Uganda
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