Uganda encouraged

Normalcy. The Crested Cranes in training. PHOTO/FUFA MEDIA 

What you need to know:

  • Preps. This publication understands that they will have at least two friendlies; one to prepare them for the physical test against the west African sides and another to work around the expansive style expected from the Moroccans.

If the Fifa rankings are anything to go by, then 157th-placed Uganda are the underdogs in Group A of the July 2-23 Africa Women Cup of Nations in Morocco. But given the history of their better ranked rivals Morocco (77th), Senegal (89th) and Burkina Faso (137th), Uganda have little to worry about but more reason to believe that this is anyone’s group.

Senegal like Uganda struggled for long to get women’s football going and lost 28 years between 1974 and 2002, when they qualified for their first and last Awcon to-date. They have made good strides since and are now ranked in the top 90 with also about five of their players plying their trade in France.
Coach Serigne Mame Moussa Cisse’s pre-Awcon preparations include games against Cameroon later this week plus Guinea Bissau and Tunisia next week before they jet into Rabat on June 29.

Burkinabes guarded
The general physicality of west African players is also something that Burkina Faso bring to the table.
The Burkinabes coach Pascal Sawadogo has most of his squad playing at home bar Morocco-based Limata Nikiema and Belarus-based captain Juliette Nana, so most of their preparations have been guarded.Burkina have been taking part in qualification tournaments for the World Cup, Awcon and Olympics since 2004 without much success. 

They seem to chop and change a lot as their most capped player of the recent past is Danielle Cudmore with just five games.
It is also telling that 21 year old Nana has skippered them recently as they prepare for their first ever Awcon.

Experienced Moroccans
Other than the imposing bodies of the west Africans, Crested Cranes have to cope with what will be a partisan rival fan-base when they play Morocco.
The Atlas Lionesses, who are coming to their third Awcon but also the first since 2000, also have majority of their players battling it out in the home league and are coached by French tactician Reynald Pedro’s.

These 2019 All Africa Games bronze medalists and north Africa champions have arguably the more exposed side in the group with a couple of players in France, Italy and Switzerland.
Morocco have also had friendlies with Ghana, Congo, Moldova and Malta.

AWCON Group A FIXTURES

July 2: Morocco            vs.     Burkina Faso, Rabat
July 3: Senegal              vs.     Uganda, Rabat
July 5: Burkina Faso vs.    Senegal, Rabat
July 5: Uganda                vs.    Morocco, Rabat
July 8: Morocco            vs.    Senegal, Rabat
July 8: Uganda                vs.    Burkina Faso, Casablanca