Afcon qualification: We’re reaping where we sowed
What you need to know:
- The issue: Afcon qualification
- Our view: By employing the right people in the right places, Fufa has succeeded in building capacity among coaches and non-technical overtime.
On Saturday, Uganda made it back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations qualifications after holding off a stubborn Cape Verde side 1-0 at Namboole.
The victory ensured that Uganda will next year return to play in Africa’s most prestigious football competition having competed in the 2017 edition in Gabon.
After a 39-year wait between 1978 and 2017, Cranes have now shown that they are intent on making qualification to Afcon a habit.
But while the country continues to bask in the latest glory of reaching Cameroon 2019, it is pertinent to appreciate the hard yards all stakeholders have put in to make qualification appear routine.
The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa), for example, under the stewardship of Moses Magogo, has built a functional secretariat which has vastly improved the efficiency of service delivery.
It is for this reason that the federation has also succeeded in training as many coaches as possible while putting particular emphasis on the development of the U-17 and U-23 team.
Uganda are now regional U-17 champions and will compete at next year’s Africa of Nations for the first time.
The U-23 team, meanwhile, defeated South Sudan in the first leg and should be favourites to the next level.
The Fufa Junior League, another innovation of the federation, has allowed a greater pool of footballers to be exposed.
All Uganda Premier League clubs must produce a team to compete in the Fufa Junior League, an idea whose rewards will see the light of day in the not distant future.
Fufa must also be credited for convincing the government to increase funding for sports. The government, though, still needs to do more to improve sports across the country. There is more motivation among the players and the technical staff led by Sebastian Desabre. The Frenchman has also been granted full powers to chop and change as he so wishes.
Desabre must take special credit for entrusting local-based players like Patrick Kaddu, Moses Waiswa, Allan Kyambadde, Sadam Ibrahim Juma, Taddeo Lwanga and Timothy Awany.
The aforementioned five were members of the squad against Cape Verde, which is further proof that Desabre has confidence in local-based players too.
Other federations can borrow a leaf.
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