Fufa shift focus to 2026 World Cup

KAMPALA. Fufa president Moses Magogo declared Project Cameroon 2019 an accomplished one and immediately announced an onslaught on the 2026 World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup will be jointly hosted by 16 cities in three North American countries of Canada, Mexico and the United States. The Federation, in 2014, launched a program to qualify for the 2019 Nations Cup, which Magogo dubbed Project Cameroon 2019. The tournament hosting rights were to move to Egypt after Cameroon failed to meet minimum standards.

Uganda did go on to compete in the 2017 Nations Cup qualifiers, ending a four-decade absence from the finals a tournament earlier than Fufa’s target. The Cranes were to achieve a back-to-back feat by qualifying for the next edition, from which they have just returned after making the knockout stage in Egypt for the first time since 1978.

Like then in 2014, Magogo says Uganda will compete in all available tournaments but with the eyes firmly fixed on the 2026 World Cup.
“We are here to close the 2019 Cameroon project,” Magogo told the media at Mengo yesterday, “There were achievements and challenges. “Our bigger goal now is to qualify for the World Cup in 2026, and whenever we come out with such projects people think we are too ambitious. It takes planning for you to get your strategy”.

The strategy
“As Fufa we will enter teams in junior competitions available, we will compete for Chan 2020 as part of the mission, 2022 and 2024 and 2026. “We will compete in Afcon 2021, 2023 and 2025. We will also compete to qualify for World Cup 2022.
“However, our objective will be getting to the 2026 World Cup. There are so many things packaged in this project and we will have a symposium.”
Regarding the partying of ways with now former Cranes coach Sebastien Desabre, who has since been confirmed as Egyptian side Pyramids FC boss, Magogo whistled down voices questioning any silent reasoning behind the Frenchman’s leaving.

“The coach and fufa agreed,” Magogo said, “A coach is not a prisoner, coaches come and go. For us it is a mutual understanding so that we can pursue our different goals.
“It is fufa that brought in Desabre, it is the same Fufa that brought in Micho (Sredojevic), the fans should be calm.”
New coaching changes

In the same vein the federation announced sweeping changes that saw the entire technical team that took Uganda to the last 16 in Egypt disbanded a fortnight before the local-based Cranes face Somalia in the first leg of the 2020 Chan qualifiers.

“The fufa emergency committee has decided that all the staff of the senior team and junior teams’ positions are vacant and open for application for qualified persons,” said Magogo.

“It is a new project we expect to get new ideas and new refocus and the positions include both the technical and administrative responsibilities. The head coaches (senior and junior teams), assistant coaches, video analyst, medical personnel - Ugandan and foreigners - are urged to apply. We believe after this process we will get the best personnel to take us to the 2026 World Cup and we will ensure that the person who has the qualifications has the ability more than the nationality, more than the faces of individuals.”

Relatedly, Fufa announced the Chan team will be handled by Police FC boss Abdallah Mubiru as the head coach, with Onduparaka’s Livingstone Mbabazi assistant coach. Sadiq Wassa is the goalkeeping coach and Geoffrey Massa is coordinator.
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