Author: Ahmed Marsha

The Uganda National team head coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic has vowed to give answers from the Mali game on Saturday against Zambia when the two teams lock horns in the Group D African Nations Championship (CAHN) finals in Rwanda at the Umuganda stadium, Rubavu.

‘For the last three days we have been correcting mistakes from the game we played against Mali when we drew 2-2. Our answers will be given on the match against Zambia‘ said Micho

Micho added that ‘ Each match played is given special attention and treated as a final thus our players and technical team give in all their abilities 100% to get the best results to help the Cranes progress’

While addressing the media at the official CAF Press conference held at 2.30pm (local time) at the Umuganda stadium Media centre, Micho gave an update on his two injured players.

On Team captain Faruku Miya and Custodian Isma Watenga, the coach said that the boys are steadily recovering.

‘Miya wil have a late fitness test tomorrow morning while Watenga still has a long way but remains valuable to the team’ said Micho.
At the same press conference Miya said that his teammates are ready to take on Zambia and pick the best results to make their Nation proud.

‘We are all ready for the game. The coach has the final word on who he selects for the game. If he selects me, I am ready to deliver’ said Miya who was congratulated by one of the Zambian journalists upon his transfer to Belgian side Standard Liege.

‘It is true I have not trained for two days but that does not mean the team is not ready for the game’ added the Aitrtel FUFA Male player of the year.

In a related development Uganda Cranes held their final training session at midday on Friday at Umuganda Stadium.

4TH ORANGE CHAN FINALS 2016: Group D

Uganda vs. Zambia – Umuganda Stadium, Rubavu (7:00 p.m, EAT)

The match referee for fixture 16 at the Orange African Nations Championships between Uganda and Zambia is Juste Ephrem Zio from Burkina Faso.

Cameroon’s Guy Elvis Noupue is the first assistant as Serigne Cheikh Toure from Senegal is the second assistant referee.

Hamada el Moussa Nampiandraza of Madagascar is the reserve referee (4th official) and Mali’s Boubacar Diarra the match official.

FUFA CEO, Edgar is part of the team, as he will be in charge of the technical study group for the match. CECAFA Secretary general is the general match coordinator.

Uganda will play Zambia in a group D match on Saturday, 23rd January 2016 at the Umuganda stadium in Rubavu.

The match starts at 7 p.m, East African time.

The Match Officials:

Juste Ephrem Zio – Center Referee (Burkina Faso)

Elvis Guy Noupue Nguegoue – Assistant Referee 1 (Cameroon)

Serigne Cheikh Toure – Assistant Referee 2 (Senegal)

Hamada el Moussa Nampiandraza – Reserve Referee (Madagascar)

Boubacar Diarra – Commissioner (Mali)

Essam Abbas Siam – Referee Assessor (Egypt)

Nicholas Chumba Musonye – General Coordinator (Kenya)

Watson Edgar Nigel Suubi – Technical Study Group (Uganda)

Ahmad Mohamed Abdelmonem Makhlouf – Marketing Officer (Egypt)

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Just a few days ago Uganda Cranes coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic told www.fufa.co.ug that he has 23 warriors in his camp for the 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN) Finals in Rubavu, Rwanda.

‘I have a very strong and committed team of 23 warriors in camp. They all know why they are in Rwanda. This is stepping stone to their greener pastures but they are representing the interests of the huge population back home in Uganda’ said Cranes coach Micho.

Micho held a 30minute talk with his players that included the injured captain Faruku Miya and goalkeeper Faruku Miya.

The team later headed to Umuganda stadium for an afternoon training session that started at midday.

Micho briefed the players on the positives from the game against Mali that ended 2-1 on Tuesday evening.

‘International football is full of waves. A team can dominate one half and lose the other. I am proud of you because we played a very strong opponent’ said Micho.
The coach will still wait to get news from his medical team regarding injuries on his star players Miya and Watenga.

‘We are hopeful that these players will continue being valuable to the team for the rest of the tournament but we need to wait for the assessing of the injuries’ added Micho.

Uganda will return to action against Zambia on Saturday at the Umuganda stadium.

MAIN PHOTO: Miya leads his troops in goal celebration after scoring a penalty. The medical team will assess his injury and that of Watenga and give a report in 48 hours.

Uganda Cranes medical team led Dr. Ronald Kisolo has confirmed that both Faruku Miya and Ismail Watenga picked up injuries during the Group D match against Mali in the ongoing African Nations Championship in Rwanda. The match ended 2-2 at Umuganda stadium.

‘Miya picked up an injury on his left shoulder when he fell down awkwardly after a challenge from an opponent in the goal area while Watenga felt a sharp pain in his right thigh after taking a goal kick’ said Kisolo.

Miya who is Cranes skipper never returned for the second half as he replaced by Mutyaba Muzamiru while Watenga went off in deep pain in the second half as Mathias Kigonya was sent in to keep the posts.

‘The players will be assessed after 48 hours to get to know the extent of the injuries ‘ added Kisolo

Miya and Watenga returned to the team’s base at Belvedere Hotel in Rubavu on Tuesday night after being attended to by the CAF Medical team.

4th CHAN FINALS 2016

Mali 2-2 Uganda

Uganda Cranes campaign at the 4th CHAN finals has started with a 2 all draw against Mali in the second group D match of the CHAN 2016 championship at the Umuganda stadium in Rubavu on Tuesday evening.

Uganda took the lead through forward Erisa Sekisambu in the 13th minute when he brushed a well delivered Faruku Miya corner.

Mali equalized through a 23rd minute Sekou Koita shot before Miya made it two from the penalty spot.

Miya calmly converted from the spot when Erisa Ssekisambu was brought down in the area on the 40^th minute mark as Uganda took the lead going into the break.

Uganda once against lost the lead when Hamidou Sinayoko connected home Mamadou Coulibaly’s cross.

By that time, goal-keeper, Isma Watenga had been stretchered off after an injury and replaced by Mathias Kigonya.

The Cranes’ other changes saw Muzamiru Mutyaba take Miya’s place by the start of the second half and Martin Kizza replacing Samson Ceasar Okhuti.

Uganda’s next game shall be on Saturday at Umuganda stadium, against Zambia who won their opener with Zimbabwe.

FUFA President, Eng. Moses Magogo who had luncheon with the players watched the game.

He was joined by the FUFA honorary president, Lawrence Mulindwa, FUFA Vice presidents, Justus Mugisha and Darious Mugoye, together with many FUFA Delegates.

Many Ugandan fans traveled for the match and cheered from start to finish.

Uganda Cranes return to action on Saturday, 23rd January 2016 against Zambia.

Uganda Cranes top leader from the playing staff Faruku Miya was composed and focused during the mandatory press conference at Umuganda stadium orgnanised by CAF ahead of Tuesday’s 2016 African Nations Championships (CHAN) against Mali.

Miya attended the press conference together with Head coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic. It was a well attended press conference that saw the media ask both Micho and Miya several questions ranging from how much Uganda technical team knows about Mali, expectations and targets.

Miya started by thanking the Almighty Allah for enabling every one who made the trip to Rubavu for the press conference. The skipper says that there is a huge difference between CECAFA and CHAN.

Miya captained Uganda to success in the 2015 CECAFA Senior Challenge cup in Ethiopia but was quick to tell the media that the demands of both tournaments are totally different.

‘CHAN brings together various teams around the continent while CECAFA has teams from one region.  This is the biggest difference between the two tournaments’ said Miya

He adds that ‘ Nothing will derail us from performing well because i believe this team has a strong mentality of team work’

‘We are focused and our main goal is to keeping working under the same spirit from Ethiopia during CECAFA.

Micho on any tactical scouting done on Mali

The Serbian said that whatever his team knows about Mali will only be delivered to the players. However he admits that Mali have been very successful in the past few years both on the continent and world stage football.

‘Our Ultimate goal is to qualify from the group stage. Let’s see what Tuesday’s game has to offer’

He added that Uganda Cranes strongest weapon was the long period of close to one year where most of the players have been together even during the CHAN Qualifiers.

Micho and Miya later joined the rest of the team for the final training session.

Uganda plays Mali at 6pm(Rwandan time) on Tuesday at Umuganda stadium.

2016 AFCON Finals-Rwanda

Tuesday 19th January, 2016

Group D: Mali vs Uganda 6pm in Rwanda (7pm in Uganda)

Venue: Umuganda Stadium, Rubavu

Live on 102.1 FUFA fm

Head coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic says that he has a plan and enough players on who will replace experienced midfielder Ivan Ntege ahead of Tuesday’s 2016 CHAN Finals Group D match against Mali at the Umuganda stadium in Rubavu.

During the pre-match meeting held at the Rubavu Serena Hotel on Monday morning, CAF confirmed that Ntege is the only player suspended for team Uganda while Mali have two suspensions.

CAF also confirmed to the Ugandan contingent during the meeting that defender Hassan Wassa Dazzo who was shown marching orders during the CHAN qualifier against Sudan at Nakivubo stadium, had served his suspension when he was never used in the return leg in Khartoum.

‘I have a very strong and committed team of 23 warriors in camp. They all know why they are in Rwanda. This is stepping stone to their greener pastures but they are representing the interests of the huge population back home in Uganda’ said Cranes coach Micho.

Uganda Cranes will hold a press conference today at Umuganda stadium at 5.30pm before conducting their final training session at 6.45pm at the stadium. The Team’s communications Manager Ahmed Hussein, captain Faruku Miya and Cranes coach Michom will attend.

Uganda Cranes goalkeeper Ismail Watenga is on a mission in Rwanda ahead of his team’s opening match against Mali on Tuesday in the 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN) finals.

Watenga who plays for reigning Azam Uganda Premier League champions Vipers SC is one of the three keepers in camp. Mathias Kigonya and Alitho James are the other keepers in Rubavu where the Uganda Cranes is camped.

Having missed the two CHAN qualifier rounds against Tanzania and Sudan through injury, the former St Mary’s SS Kitende player says that he is happy with the players and officials in camp he refers to as his true brothers.

‘I am happy to be selected from over 37 million people in Uganda to represent my country. Our country has very many good goalkeepers but for now we need create competition among the three in camp’ said Watenga.

Watenga was part of the Uganda Cranes squad in the 2014 CHAN Finals in South Africa and never played any game but he believes he gained a lot of experience from Benjamin Ochan and Ali Kimera who were the other keepers in camp.

‘The training i had in 2014 with Ochan and Kimera helped me learn a lot from them. My coach at the National team Fred Kajoba has guided me a lot’ said Watenga.

Watenga on a mission in Rwanda

‘We are like brothers in the camp. Nothing will keep our eyes off the ball. The public needs to believe in us. We are doing well in camp and looking forward to the games’ added Watenga. He believes that confidence is high in camp.

‘We have received our allowances even before we kick a ball. All we need is support from the fans back home during this tournament’ said Watenga who talked to www.fufa.co.ug as he listened to Sheeba’s popular hit ‘Siri Zari’.

On the rumours that players were on strike in camp, Watenga was quick to respond that ‘We know why we are here. We thank FUFA for giving us an opportunity to get this far because such platforms open up opportunities for players. The federation has never failed to fulfill its promises. We are here for the tournament and the rest happens after our work on the pitch and we are not worried at all’ added Watenga.

Uganda Cranes will hold a press conference today at Umuganda stadium at 5.30pm before conducting   their final training session at 6.45pm at the stadium.

Faruku Miya led his teammates to the Umuganda stadium as Uganda Cranes trained for the first time since leaving Kampala on Saturday evening. It was the same stadium used by Uganda Kobs (U-23) when they beat Rwanda 2-1 last year when Miya scored one of the goals.

The training session saw Head coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic and his players in a jolly mood as they went about their drills.

Goalkeeping coach Fred Kajoba was handling the youthful custodians Mathias Kigonya, Isma Watenga and Alitho James.

The cold weather was not a hindrance to the team’s training session as the players enjoyed the newly laid turf at the stadium for 60 minutes.

Cranes training came shortly after Group D opponents Mali at the CHAN Finals had just finished their session.

‘We are here on a mission and we know what our fans expect from us. We are not under any pressure but we know our abilities’ said Micho shortly after the team’s training session.

Uganda will hold their final and official training session on Monday evening at 6.45pm after conducting a press conference at 5.30pm Local time (6.30pm in Uganda).
Meanwhile CAF Officials briefed the Ugandan contingent on various guidelines of the tournament plus the 17 laws of the game.

The session was held at Belvedere Hotel and centres on marketing, media, dress-code, laws of the game, players’ discipline, equipment and fair play.