Kajoba welcomes goalkeeping prize, says it’ll inspire Onyango

Big Deal. Long serving Cranes goalkeeping coach, Fred Kajoba, says the country could benefit from this innovation. Photo by Eddie Chicco

What you need to know:

Kajoba, a former national team player himself, has been at the national goalkeeping help for over a decade now, and enjoyed a coasting placement at New York Red Bus last year.

KAMPALA. Apart from the opportunity of leading Uganda out of the group stage for the first time since 1978, Cranes captain Denis Onyango also has another chance to win Africa Cup of Nations Best Goalkeeper Award for the first time in the tournament’s history.
International tyre manufacturer, Continental, a week ago signed five-year sponsorship deal with Caf that earned the company rights as the official Afcon tyre until the 2023 edition in Ivory Coast.

The deal also handed the German company rights to the maiden title name of Best Goalkeeper Award at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Egypt this year and Cameroon and Ivory Coast in 2021 and 2023 respectively.
Long serving Cranes goalkeeping coach, the man behind Onyango and Uganda’s clean sheets in recent qualifiers, welcomed the news saying the country could benefit from this.
“I want to thank Caf for putting up this award for the best goalkeeper,” Fred Kajoba, 50, told Daily Monitor, “Goalkeeping is one of the most ignored areas, so we are happy about this.

Goalkeeper is game’s organiser
“It’s very good and it’s going improve goalkeepers’ performance in Afcon. We have had great displays from goalkeepers and I’m confident the level of the game will be way up during the tournament.
“I know Denis Onyango is the best in Africa and this award will inspire him to deliver more.” Kajoba added: “Football on the pitch starts with goalkeeping. A match can’t start without the keeper.

“He is the organiser of the game. He is the best tactical person on the field because he sees things easily especially dangerous movements.”
Kajoba, a former national team player himself, has been at the national goalkeeping help for over a decade now, and enjoyed a coasting placement at New York Red Bus last year.
He has also led Uganda Premier League (UPL) side Bright Stars to this year’s Uganda Cup final, where they face Proline this Saturday.