Kajoba gives goalie Jamal Cranes hope
Cranes goalkeeping coach Kajoba believes Jamal will be back in the national fold. PHOTO BY E. CHICCO
KAMPALA- There is ray of hope for dejected Uganda Cranes and Hilal goalkeeper Salim Jamal as he nurses national team rejection ahead of the Afcon qualifiers with Burkina Faso and Malawi this month. Cranes goalkeeping coach Fred Kajoba is optimistic that this is not the end of Jamal according to his grand plans.
“We sat with the coach (Johny McKinstry) and we talked over it. He told me that since this isn’t Afcon finals that we are going to camp, we need to choose between Jamal and Robert Odongkara,” Kajoba, who has handled the national team custodian for close to 10 years, weighed in.
“Both are good goalkeepers but we have to choose one. They all know they are second best to Denis Onyango and that we have to build the home goalkeeper,” he added.
Kajoba widened the goalkeeping scope to include KCCA’s Charles Lukwago, Mathias Kigonya who is doing well in Zambia and Ismail Watenga who has hit the ground running in Kenya. “The goalkeeping department is doing well at the moment. Now that I don’t have a club, I’m going to start building more talent, offer coaching clinics to coaches,” Kajoba revealed his next plan of action.
Mubiru, Mbabazi on probation
Fufa boss Justus Mugisha has tasked Cranes deputy coaches Abdallah Mubiru and Livingstone Mbabazi to exploit the six-month interim basis to earn the job permanently.
“We are giving time to both to work in six months and assess them. We may also make a final decision and appoint someone outside those.” Like the physiotherapists and team doctors, Mugisha said the was coy on when the underage team coaches would be named.
AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS
Cameroon 2021 Qualifiers
November 13, Ouagadougou
Burkina Faso vs. Uganda, 10pm
November 17, Namboole
Uganda vs. Malawi, 4pm
Entry Fees:
Shs20,000 (ordinary), Shs50,000
(VIP) and Shs120,00 (VVIP)
