Afcon title can unlock opportunities for Uganda
History is beckoning for Ugandan football in case the junior side - the Hippos - prevails past Ghana in tonight’s final to win the U20 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Mauritania.
The success will go a long way in unlocking doors for the game for Uganda in several ways, some of which are not even thought of.
What would it mean for the Hippos to win Afcon?
First, defeating the Black Satellites will earn Uganda’s its first major piece of soccer silverware in history.
And whereas football is quite popular in Uganda, it is still odd, to a great extent, that other disciplines like rugby, netball, cricket, woodball among others have already tasted significant continental success.
So Morley Byekwaso’s side has got that key for football in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott. The win in the final will also serve as revenge on Ghana, the same nation the senior side, the Cranes, lost to 2-0 in Accra in the 1978 Afcon final.
It has taken Uganda some 43 years to reach a continental cup final of any kind and surely, Hippos’ skipper Gavin Kizito and team can help the older generation of Paul Ssali and company serve that dish cold enough.
By doing so, the Hippos will land a $200000 (Shs740m) jackpot promised by Fufa.
Furthermore, the players will get top clubs across Africa and Europe knocking their doors and resultant transfers could earn them and their clubs millions to billions of shillings.
It doesn’t stop there though. Fufa is credited for the introduction of the Juniors League, through which 20 of the 25 players in Nouakchott have featured.
Success tonight could renew focus on underage structures from re-birth and birth of new academies and championships, to construction of youth soccer complexes and probably an even deeper plan to deliberately tap talent as early as age nine.
Lifting that trophy will as well seal a shift from regional to continental soccer dominance. In the last two years already, Uganda has won the regional Cecafa championship in U-15 boys, U-17 boys, U-20 boys, senior men and U-17 women.
Who are the Black Satellites?
It is, however, a tall order for the Hippos. Their stumbling block, the Black Satellites, have got enormous pedigree.
The Ghanaian junior side have already won the U-20 Afcon thrice with delight coming in 1993, 1999 and 2007 and lost two finals in 12 appearances. Uganda are only debutants in this new championship format.
The Black Satellites have gone ahead to play at 39 matches across six editions at the Fifa U-20 World Cup stage, finishing second in 1993 in Australia and in 2001 in Argentina before winning it in 2009 in Egypt.
The Black Satellites will be meeting the Hippos for the first since winning 4-3 in the 2013 Afcon U-20 first round qualification.
The Hippos, then under coach Paul Nkata, comprised the likes of Salim Jamal, Joseph Ochaya, Yusuf Mukisa, William Wadri, Gift Ali, George Abege and Joseph Mpande. They won 3-1 in Nakivubo before losing 3-0 in Ghana.
It is these matches that prompted Ghanaian club Asante Kotoko to sign Ochaya from KCCA in 2012.
Finds of Afcon U20 before
Several performers at the U20 Afcon have gone on to dominate the world stage.
First, Benni McCarthy, who was tournament MVP and top-scorer after his country South Africa lost to hosts Morocco in the 1997 final, went on to shine in Europe.
He is the only man from the Rainbow Nation to win the Uefa Champions League, with FC Porto under Jose Mourinho in 2004.
Egypt’s winning team of 2003 had the likes of Emad Moteab, Ahmed Fathy and Hosny Abd Rabo. These would go on to spur the Pharaohs to three straight Afcon titles in 2006, 2008 and 2010.
At the 2009 Rwanda edition, André Ayew led the side to glory and the likes of Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Dominic Adiyiah and Jonathan Mensah featured for the Black Stars at the ensuing 2010 and 2014 Fifa World Cup editions. They also won silver at the 2010 and 2015 Afcon finals.
Fast forward, 2017 MVP Zambian Patson Daka is currently at Austrian giants Red Bull Salzburg. He scored the winner to help Salzburg to the 2017 Uefa Youth League and he is currently the leading scorer in the Austrian Bundesliga with 17 goals.
Daka is followed by teammate Malian Sekou Koita with 14 goals. Koita won the 2019 U20 Afcon title in Niger.
What it takes for the next step
The same progress line can be taken by the Hippos’ stars like Richard Basangwa, Steven Sserwadda or even the tournament’s leading scorer Derrick Kakooza.
However, performing well at this stage doesn’t guarantee future success for a player or the corresponding senior national teams.
A lot more has to be done from the player, to the parent(s), agent, club and Fufa.
“All this is still work in progress,” says Fufa president Moses Magogo.
“We envisage a situation where we churn out many talented and well developed players in hundreds. Only a few will make it to the senior team.
“We will definitely register for all youth competitions not just for the boys but the girls too. U-17, U-20, and U-23.”
Former Cranes’ striker Eugene Sseppuya through Sepuya Inc Agency represents eight Hippos players and his team is working out a plan for the future of the youngsters.
“We have psychologists set up for their individual appointments ready, a get-away to rest their minds and body reflecting to themselves only, staying away from social media for the same time,” Sseppuya noted.
“Most importantly, we have 16 to 25 European teams we are working with, watching every game. I can assure you Uganda will have not less than six players in Europe, take my bet,” adds the man who was with Byekwaso in the U-23 squad that reached the semi-finals of the 1999 All-Africa Games.
Past of top scorers
1997 Benni McCarthy RSA
1999 Ousmane Bangoura GUI
2001 Pedro Mantorras ANG
2003 Emad Moteab EGY
2005 Mouhcine Iajour MAR
2007 Fwayo Tembo ZAM
2009 Ransford Osei GHA
2011 Uche Nwofor NIG
2013 Aminu Umar NIG
2015 Musa Muhammed NIG
2017 Luther Singh RSA
2019 Amadou Dia N’Diaye SEN
Road to final
UGANDA | GROUP STAGE
Uganda 2-0 Mozambique
Uganda 0-1 Cameroon
Uganda 2-1 Mauritania
QUARTERFINAL
Uganda 0-0 Burkina Faso (5-3)
SEMIFINAL
Uganda 4 -1 Tunisia
GHANA | GROUP STAGE
Ghana 4-0 Tanzania
Ghana 0-0 Morocco
Ghana 1 -2 Gambia
QUARTERFINAL
Ghana 1 - 1 Cameroon (4-2)
SEMIFINAL
Ghana 1 -0 Gambia
[email protected]
