Desabre kicks off Afcon preps with familiar faces

Fifteen months into his Uganda Cranes managerial job, his first ever national team assignment and Frenchman Sebastien Desabre has laid down a marker as a tactician who will first bank on a certain pool of players – through thick and thin.

While releasing the first part of grand plan for the June-July Afcon tourney due in Egypt, Desabre informed all and sundry that club-less players Geoffrey Walusimbi and Hassan Wasswa are still central in his strategy as he bids to progress through a slippery Group A that has hosts Egypt neighbours DR Congo and fast rising Zimbabwe.

Top level
“I’m very confident that by the time we leave for Egypt, we shall all be top level both physically and mentally,” Wasswa told Daily Monitor this week. In his two-way approach towards fine-tuning the Cranes for the Egyptian onslaught, Desabre has rewarded the local leagues’ best performers with an appearance at the Cosafa tourney were Uganda is an invited guest and also summoned majority of the players he has been working with locally to prepare for the Afcon tourney.

Professional players like Denis Onyango, Farouk Miya, Muhammad Shaban and the rest will join towards the proposed UAE camp later in June.
“Competition for the final slots is going to be high. I’m going to work with over seven goalkeepers but I believe they all have what it takes to make the cut to Egypt,” Cranes goalkeeping coach Fred Kajoba revealed.
He added; “We have more than a month to assemble a side that can get out of the group and I think this can be attained this time.”

AFCON PRELIMINARY SQUAD
Goalkeepers:
Charles Lukwago, James Alitho
Defenders: Bevis Mugabi, Brian Majwega,
Godfrey Walusimbi, Timothy Awany, Halid
Lwaliwa, Mustafa Mujuzi
Midfielders: Khalid Aucho, Hassan Wasswa
Mawanda , Sadam Juma, Tadeo Lwanga,
Allan Okello, Moses Waiswa
Forwards: Daniel Isiagi, Allan Kyambadde,
Juma Balinya, Patrick Kaddu, Joel Madondo
COSAFA Squad:
Goalkeeper: Said Keni
Defenders: Isaac Isinde, Paul Willa, Mustafa
Kizza, John Revita, Paul Mbowa, Hassan
Musana, Filibert Obenchan
Midfielders: Ivan Eyam, David Owori, Bright
Anukani, Muzamiru Mutyaba, Shafiq Kagimu,
Nicholas Kasozi, Allan Kayiwa.
Forwards: Daniel Serunkuma, Bashir
Mutanda, Paul Mucuurezi, Nelson Senkatuka,
Michael Birungi

COSAFA CUP 2019
Dates: May 25th – 8th June
Host country: South Africa (Durban)
Groups
A: Angola, eSwatini, Comoros, Mauritius
B: Mozambique, Namibia, Malawi, Seychelles

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