Saturday October 13th emerged yet another heart breaking day in Ugandan football history when the country failed to end the long wait into the Africa Cup of Nations finals by narrowly losing 8-9 on spot kicks to Zambia, the continental Champions. It’s now 35 years!
FUFA wishes to:
- Thank all the fans who turned up at Namboole to support the Cranes.
- Applaud our sponsors (MTN, Nile Special and NIC) for all the support.
- Commend the government for the good will towards the team and the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, ministers MPs and all politicians for gracing the event.
- Hail the Religious leaders who stood with us in prayers.
- Thank all media houses for the work well done.
To the players:
- Our players offered their best and losing 8-9 on spot kicks after a 1-0 win against the African defending champions in the 90 minutes wasn’t a bad result though we failed to qualify.
- To Captain Andy Mwesigwa and teammate Patrick Ochan who failed to convert their penalties should not look at this act as a crime. Such scenarios are common among key players. FUFA Still treasures your contributions in this team.
- Though lost the campaign, the Cranes maintained its winning culture at home in the 90 minutes. We commend you for that.
The Technical bench:
- Coach Bobby Williamson, his assistants and the entire technical bench, we appreciate your efforts. Thanks so much.
FUFA commitment:
We offered all what was required of us in the build up towards this game. These included:
- Assembling all the players as requested by the head coach.
- Flying out a team to Zambia for the first leg.
- Started training earlier than ever before (Sept 19-Oct 12).
- Organized an international friendly match against Botswana away in Gaborone.
- Maintained all the 26 players (the biggest squad ever) in camp until the last day.
- Paid all the players’/officials’ allowances and bonuses on schedule. etc
Our next focus
- We shall reward our players/officials with cash prizes for this effort.
- Evaluate the team’s technical performance for immediate action.
- Maintain the squad in focus for future field engagements.
- Identify the team’s weak areas for rectification
- Consolidate the team’s strength.
- Arrange more international friendly matches for build ups.
- Host and defend the Cecafa-Tusker Cup due in Kampala in November.
- Prepare the home based team for the CHAN competitions slated for next year.
- Put up a spirited fight in the remaining matches of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
Conclusion
It was all done but God’s response wasn’t in our favour. His choice is no appeal! We therefore have nobody to blame for the country’s another failure to qualify for the Afcon 2013 in South Africa, NOT even ourselves. It was just hard luck!
