Uganda Cranes suffered yet another defeat as they faced off against Niger on Saturday 2nd June at the Stade General Seyni Kountche in Niamey.
Two goals from Kemilou Daouda and Zakari Adebayor in the 40th and 56th minutes were enough to see off a spirited Ugandan side. Nico Wadada scored a consolation goal in the 85th minute but it was a little too late to fight for a point.
The French gaffer has managed to register just a single win, five losses, and three draws in his first nine games in charge, a run that has made many Ugandan fans question his ability.
Despite the disappointing results, Desabre asked Ugandans not to start judging him yet because his plans for Uganda are more than just the results at the moment. He primarily planned to use these fixtures to access the team and change their playing philosophy while building for Project Cameroon 2019 and Project Qatar 2022.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“At a moment we agreed to make mistakes which won’t be repeated during crucial games because we would have perfected with our intended style of play. I will alternate my players to give a chance to others because we are still assessing who fits in our intended style of play and philosophy.” [/perfectpullquote]
He told fufa.com.
He continued saying it’s very “possible to play for results right now” but then the team would not have built to compete in the future. The former Ismaily FC gaffer has always been known as a man who focuses on the bigger picture, he doesn’t just believe in qualifying for tournaments but wants to go there to compete.
He promised the team building process is promising and concluded by asking Ugandans not to judge him immediately.
“Don’t judge me now, let the real assessment come in September against Tanzania and October against Lesotho. My main target is project Cameroon 2019 and Qatar 2022 and I believe with time to those competitions we will be in a perfect shape after several test matches”
Hopefully Uganda Cranes will be ready before resuming the 2019 AFCON Qualifier against Tanzania on September 7th at Namboole. They are placed in Group L with neighbours Tanzania, Lesotho and Cape Verde and are currently topping the group with three points after a single game.
Uganda Cranes Games under Sebastian Desabre.
2nd May. Niger 2- 1 Uganda (International Friendly)
30th May. Central African Republic 1-0 Uganda (International Friendly)
27th March. Uganda Cranes 0-0 Malawi (International Friendly Match)
24th March. Uganda Cranes 3-1 Sao Tome and Principe (International Friendly Match)
22nd January. Uganda Cranes 0-0 Ivory Coast (CHAN 2018)
18th January. Uganda Cranes 0-1 Namibia (CHAN 2018)
14th January. Zambia 3-1 Uganda (CHAN 2018)
10th January. Uganda Cranes 0-1 Congo (International Friendly Match)
6th January. Uganda Cranes 1-1 Guinea (International Friendly Match)
The Uganda Cranes Players that travelled to Niger.
Goalkeepers: Denis Onyango (Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa), Charles Lukwago (KCCA FC), Jamal Salim (El Merreikh, Sudan)
Defenders: Denis Iguma (Al Nabi Shayth, Lebanon), Murushid Jjuko), Timothy Awanyi (KCCA FC), Isaac Muleme (Assiouty, Egypt) Bevis Mugabi (Yeovil Town, England), Nico Wadada (Vipers SC), (Simba, Tanzania
Midfielders: Allan Kyambadde (SC Villa Jogoo), Faruku Miya (Sabail, Azerbaijan on loan from Standard Liege, Belgium), Joseph Ochaya (Lusaka Dynamos, Zambia), Khalid Aucho (East Bengal, India), Taddeo Lwanga (Vipers SC), William Kizito Luwagga (CMS Politehnica Lasi, Romania), Milton Karisa (Vipers SC), Allan Kateregga (Cape Town, South Africa), Moses Opondo (Vendsyssel, Denmark), Hassan Wasswa (El Geish, Egypt)
Forwards: Emmanuel Okwi ( Simba,Tanzania), Edrisa Lubega ( Floridsdorfer AC, Austria), Mohammed Shaban( KCCA), Yunus Sentamu ( Tirana, Albania)
Uganda’s Next Matches.
Afcon 2019 Qualifiers
September 7th . Uganda vs. Tanzania
October 10th . Uganda vs. Lesotho
October 13th . Lesotho vs. Uganda
November 16th . Uganda vs. Cape Verde
March 22nd, 2019. Tanzania vs. Uganda
