Ugandans were left in shock after Allan Okello was stripped of the captaincy armband, replacing him with defender Rogers Torach as the Cranes beat Guinea 3-0 at Namboole.
In the press conference, Uganda Cranes head coach Morley Byekwaso revealed the reason why the decision was made.
“We wanted to take the burden off Okello’s shoulders and give him the necessary freedom,” Byekwaso stated.
“Allan Okello is a very talented player. For the team to perform, we need him at his best. Without the captain’s role, he looked so free, and we benefited as a team,” he added.
“I am happy that the decision yielded positive fruits. We shall continue supporting him so that we perform well as a team.”
Apart from being stripped of captaincy, Okello was pushed to the side, switching his role from the middle of the park, where he was deployed in the number ten role against Algeria.
Uganda return to action on Monday, August 11, as they take on Niger in their third game of CHAN 2024.
Congratulations to the Ugandan team
It was a good decision from coach
Hope it won’t hurt him internally.
Great to see such big decisions from the coach bring positive results