How Fifa window brought renewal to Cranes

Uganda Cranes coach, Paul Put will probably be looking forward to the next assembly of his players in November, more than he has before.

This follows The Cranes impressive showing during the international break that concluded on Monday, October 5 for his charges. The 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in an international friendly match, played in South Africa ensured that Put’s men ended a three-week break, that had four games, without losing a single one of them.

It is not usual that The Cranes show that level of consistency. Yet, considering that Uganda is hosting the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) next year, this concluded Fifa window appears to have given The Cranes a new sense of purpose, as they gear towards the 2027 Afcon.

First and foremost, The Cranes have struggled to find themselves a suitable right-back since Dennis Guma, who occupied that position until 2019.

While it was difficult to actually describe Guma as a full-back, he played there for a long time, following the retirement of Simeon Masaba, who was indeed an accomplished righ-back, back in 2013.

Yet, although Guma had proved himself to be a good centre-back and an incredibly good ball user in the shape of Ibrahim Sekagya, at the national team, his coaches, especially Milutin Sredojevic preferred him at right-back because at 5 feet 8 inches, he was not considered tall enough to play there.

But even at right-back, while Guma had nimble feet, gifted enough to beat his man and make a good pass, he was not a top crosser of the ball to create for the forwards, as ordinary fullbacks are known for.

The likes of Paul Hasule (RIP), John Mandwara and Richard Malinga had such precise deliveries to enable the forwards thrive all day.

**BREATH OF FRESH AIR **

A case in point of such a delivery was seen in The Cranes first Afcon qualification game against Tunisia recently. It came from a player making his debut in Nathan Asiimwe, who plies his trade in England at Salford FC.

Asiimwe’s razor sharp long pass through the heart of Tunisia’s defence, which was duly met by forward Rogers Mato, before he finished it off delightful has been a rare product in the national team.

In fact, it was a breath of fresh air to a team that has been gasping for such quality. Unless otherwise, Asiimwe has solved Uganda’s rightback position in almost every sense.

This means that the previous challenges, where the likes of Toby Sibbick, Kenneth Semakula, and Bevis Mugabi, all out and out centre-backs, have been deployed there, come to grounding halt.

Unlike the three aforementioned, Asiimwe has brought guile and balance. But he also showed that he can comfortably run with the ball at his feet, and create a scoring opportunity through a cross, or a simple pass. Interestingly, Asiimwe also uses his left foot effectively wel

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