Uganda Cranes midfielder Tony Mawejje has rubbished media reports indicating that he has withdrawn from the squad summoned to face Liberia in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers on March 24th.
There were reports in some sections of the local media that the midfield gem had decided to withdraw from the squad citing lack of match fitness.
“It’s not true”, he told Kawowo Sports. “There is no denying the fact that I have been inactive from competitive football for a while now but I have been training”, Mawejje said before admitting that a lack of match fitness always exists if you don’t play.
“Of course training alone is not enough without competition but i have been working hard”.
The former Masaka LC, KCC FC and Police FC midfielder has not played competitive football since last November after running out of contract with Iceland side IBV FC but insists he will honour the summon and fight for a place on the team.
“Maybe I was misquoted on this but am ready to honour the summon and fight for a place. From there, the coach will decide whether to play me or not”.
On his future, Mawejje who is in the country at the moment told Kawowo Sports that he will be penning a new deal at IBV soon.
“There were arrangements for me to get a new club but the deal never materialised. However, I will soon return to Iceland and sign a new contract with IBV”.
Mawejje who last played for the national team October last year against Zambia is among the 25 players summoned by Coach Williamson to prepare for the Liberian game.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) may have taken the media reports seriously and dropped Mawejje from the squad. According to the team released by the Federation Head of Communication Rogers Mulindwa on 13th March, Mawejje’s name has been scrapped and replaced with Robert Ssentongo who was not part of the summoned earlier on Friday March 8th.
SQUAD RELEASED TODAY:
GOAL KEEPERS: Denis Onyango (Sundown United, SA), Abel Dhaira (Simba SC, TZ) and Hamza Muwonge (Vipers SC)
DEFENDERS: Denis Guma (SCVU), Isaac Isinde (St. George Ethiopia), Nicholas Wadada (Vipers), Godfrey Walusimbi (CS Don Bosco, DRC), Simeon Masaba (URA FC), Joseph Ochaya (Asante Koto, Ghana), Henry Kalungi (Railhawks, USA) and Andrew Mwesigwa (FC Ordabasy, Kazakhstan).
MIDFIELDERS: Luwaga Kizito (Leixieos, Portugal), Said Kyeyune (URA FC), Musa Mudde (Simba SC), Hassan Wasswa (KCC FC), Boban Zirintusa (Power Dynamos, Zimbabwe), Geoffrey ‘Baba’ Kizito (Sai Gon, Vietnam), Moses Oloya (Vietnam) and Mike Mutyaba (TP Mazembe, DRC)
STRIKERS: Geoffrey Massa (Yenicam, Cyprus), Brian Umony (Azam, TZ), Hamis ‘Diego’ Kiiza (Yanga, TZ), Daniel Sserunkuma (Gor Mahia, Kenya) and Emmanuel Okwi (Etoile Du Sahel, Tunisia and Robert Ssentongo)
Uganda lies second in group J with two points from two games with only Senegal (four points) ahead while Angola and Liberia are third and fourth respectively.
