Uganda missed chance to give future stars exposure

In this weekend’s final qualification games for Africa Cup of Nations 2019, Tanzania’s Taifa stars will host the Uganda Cranes in a game of different objectives.
The Tanzanians know that a Lesotho loss away to Cape Verde isn’t incomprehensible, but that it would count for nothing unless they beat Uganda. So, it is said nothing is being left to chance and I hope we went with our own chef. But not even the likelihood of underhand methods will matter for Uganda.
We qualified with a game to spare which would beg the question how do you keep the Cranes focused on this game at a time when the majority of them already have their minds on the scouts that will descend upon Cairo and Alexandria in June?
One of the many ways to maintain interest in this game would be to rally its purpose around record-setting matters like a qualification tally of 16 points or a goals-against column reading zero.
But even that is going to be a huge ask for players who have ‘already qualified’. The best way to keep the camp hungry would have been to deploy players of the future - players with a thing to prove and running on the hope that they could make the final AFCON squad.
For a moment this breeding of fresh faces for a zero-risk game is what I suspected would be the case when the technical committee summoned dozens of local-based players to the Cranes camp. But to my disappointment only Allan Okello, Timothy Awany, Allan Kyambadde, Sadam Juma, Patrick Kaddu, Halid Lwaliwa, Tadeo Lwanga, Moses Waiswa and free-agents Hassan Wasswa and Godfrey Walusimbi made the final list. Only half of these can be said to be fresh to the Cranes and Hassan Wasswa who is suspended for the game must either be an indispensable team morale-booster or dependent on the team per-diem for survival.
Away from all that, I feel like we lost a big opportunity to make this final qualification game more meaningful than it will be. Here was a chance to rest Denis Onyango. Instead we left behind all four goal keepers summoned to camp - Nicholas Ssebwato, James Alitho, Charles Lukwago and Saidi Keni. Also, and admittedly, Michael Birungi, Brain Majwega and Mzee Sserunkuma are no spring chicken, but I would have loved to see either of Juma Bulinya or Bashir Mutanda unleashed.
In the end the manager only has 23 spots to fill and maybe, Allan Okello, Timothy Awany, Allan Kyambadde, Halid Lwaliwa and Tadeo Lwanga will get their chance. Also, time is an ally for Julius Poloto, Filbert Obenchan, Mustafa Kizza, Paul Willa, Ivan Eyam, and Bright Anukani. But sometimes circumstances connive to offer an opportunity to take some risks.
Yet knowing Sebastian Desabre’s risk averseness, we will take to the field with established players who have little to prove. We will probably still roll over Taifa Stars and break our qualification tally record, but that would not be half as valuable as giving our future crop of stars much needed exposure.