Why Afcon 2023 qualifying campaign won’t be bed of roses many Cranes fans hope for

As the recent 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals showed, the emotional hold African football’s showpiece tournament has over Ugandans remains undiminished. That said; if an icy cold sensation took residence when Malawi beat Uganda to a ticket to Cameroon 2021, things will get progressively worse if Ivory Coast 2023 proves elusive.

For many Cranes faithful, such an outcome is a horror almost beyond contemplation. Some have even had the temerity to say that failing to make the cut for the second straight time will be an unbeatable catastrophe. At least this entitled bunch was spared the embarrassment of having to watch its side take part in Ivory Coast 2023’s preliminary round. That first qualifying round – set to suck in Afcon 2021 quarterfinals, the Gambia – takes centre stage at the back-end of this month. A 16th placement on the continent will meanwhile almost certainly see the Cranes go in Pot 2 when the group stage draw is held.

Make no mistake, though, any expectations of a smooth ride are devoid of either common sense or sophistication. If Afcon 2021 impressed anything upon African football aficionados, it is the fact that so-called minnows whose abode is either Pot 3 or Pot 4 during such draws are not to be underestimated. They are indeed no longer objects of withering criticism and whatnot. Most importantly, the vulnerabilities of Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic’s side are well documented.
Shorn of the services of the vast bulk of players that took part in successive Afcon finals between 2017 and 2019, leadership already appears as an area in which Uganda will recognise her inadequacies. While Micho has tried to put the best face on the situation, the dearth of leadership in the Cranes dressing room could well circumscribe Uganda’s chances. 

It remains to be seen whether silent leaders like Emma Okwi, Khalid Aucho and Faruku Miya will step up to the plate as Geoffrey Massa, Denis Onyango, Tonny Mawejje, and Hassan Wasswa admirably did in campaigns gone by.
Then there is also the small matter of goals. A question around where they will come from has always been belligerently posed. This forthcoming campaign, more so. Fahad Bayo’s goal contributions in an underwhelming 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign should have retained his powers almost in perpetuity. But in most of those encounters, you could count off the fingers of one hand the touches the Israel-based striker had.
If it rarely occurred to any back then, the bottom line was that gangly forward was not mobile enough. He definitely needed to influence proceedings more. Probably Patrick Kaddu can help complete this jigsaw, but, clearly, no-one is holding their breath. 

Elsewhere, while Yunus Sentamu, Muhammad Shaban and Sadat Anaku have been critical to their respective teams’ success in Uganda’s top flight football league; they have less skin in international football.
To top things off, while Micho has worked feverishly from before dawn to the end of light to secure trial matches; the relevance of trips to places like Uzbekistan have been second-guessed. While the sojourn in Eastern Europe will help Micho pare down his squad to its most elemental dimensions, the Serb will have to wield a deft knife if he is to lead Uganda to the big time yet again.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @robertmadoi