Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic seems to be on the right course to building the Ugandan squad. After winning of Uganda’s record fourteenth CECAFA title, all eyes will be focused on whether the team can qualify successfully for the 2017 AFCON and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Is this possible considering Uganda hasn’t had success in qualifying for the African Nations Cup since 1978. Back then Uganda won the second place, its highest international success.
The Cranes’ fans are the ones whose hopes are the highest at the moment. Too long they have waited for this. According to the last FIFA rankings for December as reported by www.gamblingafrica.com, a site filled with online casinos for players from South Africa, Uganda jumped 3 spots to the 63rd place. This was well expected considering Uganda’s two wins in November against Togo in the AFCON qualifiers, where the Cranes are occupying the first spot at the moment. So, things are looking quite good at the moment.
Some of the biggest bookmakers where you can find the latest South African casino bonuses have given good odds to Uganda about qualifying to the African Nations Cup that will be hosted in 2017 in Gabon. This is without a doubt due to Uganda’s good results during the last several months.
Nevertheless, some say that Micho doesn’t have a structured process that he follows in building the Ugandan national team. But, that’s not Micho’s fault at all. It’s a fault stemming from the conditions in which he works. He has to pick any player in form that he can get his hands on. He doesn’t have the pleasure to pick his players coming from some sort of a footballer conveyor belt that spits out world class players.
For example, only one player, Ivan Ntege, from the U-17 Uganda team that entered continental qualifiers in 2010 is currently playing for the national team. And considering he is playing in one of the weakest European leagues, the Albanian league, he is not much to boast for, although he is only 21. Other players like Nkugwa, Katende, Kasadha, Wadri, Mpande, Kyeyune or Ali have fallen on hard times despite showing much promise, and are nowhere to be found in the international scene.
When Ugandan players can achieve a smooth transition from being hot prospects to actually being highly sought African players, then we can expect for sure that the Cranes can qualify and surprise everybody at the AFCON or World Cup tournaments. Until then, so many players will get lost on their way to maturing and developing into excellent footballers.
It’s a clear indication that the FUFA officials have to pay more attention to helping potential Ugandan star players develop as they should. Nevertheless, Micho is confident that the Cranes can qualify for the 2017 AFCON if the players stick to his strategic plan. So, promises look good for now.