Africa Hockey roadmap renews hope

The revised Africa Hockey Federation (AfHF) 2020 roadmap offers a definitive chance for Uganda to resuscitate her national teams – at the January 18-24 continental qualifiers in Nairobi.

The national teams have technically been inactive since UHA banned a group of players in 2011 ahead of the qualifiers of the 2012 Olympics.

On paper though, Uganda are 2018 President’s Cup champions in both men and women’s categories after their opponents failed to turn up in Kampala.

This earned the national teams places at Africa’s Olympic qualifiers that took place last year in Stellenbosch – South Africa.
They, however, did not make it due to financial constraints.

Optimism high
UHA put all its hopes in National Council of Sports (NCS) funding a Shs350m budget but the promise never materialized.
The budget should be lower now and optimism is high.

Men’s team coach Francesco Richichi, typing in Italian on his Facebook, welcomed the announcement while his assistant Vincent Kasasa, on meeting the national teams on Sunday called on players to “forgive and forget what has happened.”
These qualifiers, for east and selected north Africa countries, were initially set for May 11-17, 2020 but were wiped out by the Coronavirus pandemic.

The top two sides from this regional group will join the top two from each of the west and north Africa plus central and south Africa groups for the 11th edition of the eight-team Nations Cup whose dates are yet to be scheduled.
South Africa and Egypt have already qualified as the top two highly ranked men’s teams while Ghana joins South Africa for the ladies.

Meanwhile, UHA are in advanced talks with Tanzania and Kenya to revive the East Africa Championships for the U-16, U-19, U-21 and senior national teams.
No national league
The revised calendars, however, hinge on the hope that travel and sport on the continent will have resumed before January.

“As a federation, we are hoping that by September, sport will back,” Uganda Hockey Association (UHA) president Lydia Ssanyu Dhamuzungu, said.

“That way we can roll out a new product that will help us keep players competitive and prepare them for January,” she added confirming cancellation of the National League this year.

“We promised South Africa and did not deliver so we understand why you could be apprehensive to anything we might say but we are doing our best,” UHA’s assistant general secretary Stanley Tamale, said as the executive donated foods from Aponye Uganda Limited to national team players on Sunday at Lugogo.

The three-round league that should have started in March had grown to 10 men’s teams, from seven last year, while the women’s were meant to have six from five.

The total number of games had increased from 128 to 180 and these cannot be scheduled in what is left of 2020.
The players will settle for a five-week knockout competition christened the Uganda Cup to save the season.

Countries for the North-East qualifiers
Men: Burundi, Kenya, Libya, Seychelles, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda
Women: Burundi, Egypt, Kenya, Libya, Seychelles, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda