Uganda Cranes head coach Paul Joseph Put and captain Denis Onyango faced the media on Friday evening at Hoima City Stadium ahead of Saturday’s game against Botswana.
The Cranes will face the Zebras in Matchday 3 of the AFCON 2027 Qualifiers
Coach Paul Put
On the team’s readiness ahead of the game against Botswana…
We are ready. The mood in camp since Sunday, when we first assembled, has been positive. The players are fully focused on making sure we get a good result at home.
On the kind of opposition he expects from Botswana…
We gonna face a difficult opponent that has been playing their last two AFCON Qualifier games away. They drew against Libya and Tunisia, and that explains the kind of team we shall be playing tomorrow.
On the players waiting for clearance from FIFA…
Concerning Abdoulaye Sissako, David Udoh Akpan and Danel Dongmo, we don’t have any update yet, but it can come anytime; we hope so. But that is administrative; but for this game, I don’t think they will be available.
On Herbert Bockhorn eventually honouring the invitation…
He is a very quality player. It has taken some time to convince him to come and play here, just like it was Elio Capradossi and Jordan Obita, but finally he is here. Like I have always said, you can be a good player with your team but national team is a bit different. But you can see from the training sessions he has been here; he comes with quality, experience, and hopefully that will improve the team.
On Aucho bidding farewell to international football…
It has been a pleasure to work with him as captain of the team. It is not easy to be in the National Team for 13 years, but Aucho has done so. We appreciate him for the service, and we hope we can win the game for him tomorrow.
On Aucho’s fitness concerns…
He came to the camp with a knock, and we have been managing him since he arrived. His workload and we will wait to see if the medical team can clear him for tomorrow.
NB: The player who spent days training a lone on the sidelines, took part in Friday’s last training at Hoima City Stadium but it is likely that he will begin the game on bench.
Captain Denis Onyango
On the mood in camp ahead of the game…
The Team is ready, just like last time when we were here. Everything is set, and everyone is ready to fight for the nation. We know how important it is to keep winning and maintain the momentum.
On the opponents, Botswana…
They are a very good side. We know what happened in the two games they have played so far away to Tunisia and Libya. They are a team that scores goals, and therefore, we must be on top of our game to make sure we win. We are at home, and we know that will push us to fight harder in order to make ourselves, the fans and the nation proud.
On Khalid Aucho’s retirement…
The nation has to honour him because he has been a top professional on and off the pitch. Regardless of other factors, he has sacrificed so much for this country and honouring him with a win tomorrow will be a good farewell. He has spent most of his playing career abroad, in different countries, and it is not easy to do so. That only shows how incredible a player he has been. I can only wish him all the best in his retirement.
On the culture of honouring players that have excelled with the national team…
It is a good initiative from FUFA, and I hope it can be a culture going forward. This should be a stepping stone to honour players who excel with the national team, and when they choose to retire, a perfect send-off is good.
