On September 4, 2016 Uganda Cranes defeated Comoros 1-0 to qualify for the finals of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since 1978.
On October 19, 2016 Uganda will know its other three opponents at the draws that will be held in Libreville Gabon, the host nation.
Outside Guinea-Bissau who are debutants, Uganda will also feel as outcasts. 39 years is a very long time, though the 1978 finalists will be making a sixth appearance.
Whether Uganda will struggle to make an impact or even impose themselves is a mystery that will be solved between January 14 and February 5.
But for now, there is no much difference between the 13 time CECAFA winners and the AFCON holders Ivory Coast, four time winners Ghana and Cameroon.
The more reason Cranes’ midfielder Tony Mawejje poured out his feeling about the possibility of facing Ivory Coast though they won’t be with their winning captain Yaya Toure who retired from international football.
I respect him but am not afraid of him at all. I played against him in the U-19s in 2004 and he wasn’t a threat. To me, well, he is a great player playing for big club. But I’m a better player
Mawejje was quoted by Daily Monitor on the night of September 4 as the Cranes celebrated their qualification.
I have played against some of the biggest stars already in (Togo’s Emmanuel) Adebayor, (Ghana’s Andre) Ayew, (Michael) Essien and the Kenyans but not yet Yaya
That confidence in Mawejje flows in the veins of all the Cranes’ players, Denis Onyango has been there done at club level and it’s not a mistake that he is in the finals of the CAF Champions League with his South African Club Mamelodi Sundowns.
Junior players like Farouk Miya, Kizito Luwagga who have been main stays and already plying their trade in Europe also look at this as their best chance to elevate their careers.
People will be surprised when they see our performances, everyone will ask; where has Uganda been all this time?
Prodigal sons Egypt who have won a record seven Africa Cup of Nations and 1990 winner Algeria can be considered real challenges. Uganda has always struggled against opposition from the Maghreb.
But however Uganda is drawn against come Wednesday, they ought to know the minnows from East Africa won’t be push overs.
Pots
Pot 1: Gabon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Algeria
Pot 2: Tunisia, Mali, Burkina Faso, DR Congo
Pot 3: Cameroon, Senegal, Morocco, Egypt
Pot 4: Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Guinea Bissau
