Captaincy will motivate, not burden Nalukenge
Coach Ayub Khalifan named striker Juliet Nalukenge as captain when he announced the 20-man squad that will represent Uganda at the Cosafa U-17 Women Championship in Mauritius
Coach Ayub Khalifan named striker Juliet Nalukenge as captain when he announced the 20-man squad that will represent Uganda at the Cosafa U-17 Women Championship in Mauritius.
Nalukenge is not only tasked with leading the team and sharing some of her experiences with the senior team Crested Cranes but she must provide the goals alongside Fauziah Najjemba – not only in the group stages where Uganda must better the hosts, Comoros and Zambia, which went to the Fifa Under-17 World Cup in 2014 but also if they advance.
The other group has two-time U-17 World Cup participants South Africa, Seychelles, Botswana and Madagascar.
“We thought that giving her the captaincy will motivate her to lead by example,” Khalifan, who also coaches Nalukenge at club level at Kawempe Muslim, said.
“Of course the biggest example both of them must set is through their performances and scoring important goals,” he told Daily Monitor after naming his squad for the tournament.
The team that leaves for Mauritius has played two preparation games – first defeating a Kampala Select-side 2-0 on Wednesday and then winning 3-1 against a Fufa Women Elite League (FWEL) select side on Sunday.
Khalifan does not know much about his opponents in Mauritius but hopes that his players can play with belief.
“Maybe Zambia should be a good team because they have played a couple of tournaments. But when you play sides you hardly know about then you have to play with belief in your abilities as individuals and as a team.”
