Doves need strong start
History. Captain Nakaziro leads the Doves, including Ikwaput (inset) out today. PHOTO | JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
- At the U-17 meeting in Njeru, Uganda won 11-0 with Doves’ temporary signings from Uganda Martyrs’ High School – Lubaga, Daphine Nyayenga in goal and Gloria Namugerwa in the squad.
If national team football offers any kind of judgment into the strength of women’s leagues in the region, then Lady Doves have a start to dream of in the Caf Women’s Champions League zonal qualifiers that start today.
The 2021 Fufa Women Super League (FWSL) champions start their campaign, to qualify for the tournament due in Morocco later in the year, against Djibouti side FAD (Air Force). All sides are not helped by the fact that this is the first regional women’s club tournament of any kind in this part of the world.
Some of the Ugandan players, who have been to the Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association (FEASSSA) Games, might know a thing or two about their counterparts who might be in the Tanzanian side Simba Queens and Kenyan side Vihiga Queens but they will need to first establish if they are there.
“We do not know much about any of them,” coach Fred Musiime said, when asked about his knowledge about other Group A teams that also include Tanzania’s Simba Queens and Burundi PSV Bunyezi.
“But at least we play first then we will have time to watch the other two and the others (Group B) the next day. We hope to get a good result then strategize for the other games,” he added.
Cecafa memory
However, there will be some muscle memory and encouragement for some of the Ugandan players that met their Djibouti counterparts in both the Cecafa women’s senior and U-17 championships in 2019.
Uganda’s Crested Cranes beat Djibouti 13-0 in Dar-es-Salaam then with Fazila Ikwaput, who brings some Uefa champions league experience and will be Doves’ star attraction, scoring a hat-trick. Captain and goalkeeper Daisy Nakaziro and midfielder Riticia Nabbosa were in that team.
At the U-17 meeting in Njeru, Uganda won 11-0 with Doves’ temporary signings from Uganda Martyrs’ High School – Lubaga, Daphine Nyayenga in goal and Gloria Namugerwa in the squad.
“I think we will meet a few players we have seen before in all squads. But we are not worried as we have been working hard together,” Nakaziro said.
“We have players in this team that can win us any game so we just need to work as a unit,” she added.
