Fisher’s long road to Rwanda begins

Sebastian Quinn Fisher arrived in Uganda with a football dream. Now, the Scottish teenager is chasing history.

The 16-year-old Partick Thistle-linked striker is among 39 Uganda Cubs locked in a residential camp at the FUFA Technical Centre in Njeru as the road to the 2026 CECAFA U-17 Championship gathers pace.

For Fisher, this is no ordinary call-up. “I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “It’s one of those things you look at, and you’re shocked. You can’t believe it, and most other people couldn’t either.”

Fisher and his 18-year-old brother Olly were born in Scotland but qualify to represent Uganda through their mother Kate, who was born in Uganda.

Their grandparents lived in Uganda for about four to five years, with their grandfather coming to teach secondary school pupils before their mother was born in the country.

“My grandmum and grandad lived out here for, I think, four or five years,” Olly said. “My grandfather came out here to teach in a school, and then my mum was born here. So, it’s a bit of a strange one.”

The Fisher brothers first learnt of Uganda’s interest about six months ago after their father struck up a conversation with a football consultant at a game in Nigeria.

That chance encounter has now brought the teenagers to Jinja.

Olly has been involved with the Uganda U-20 setup, while Seb is battling for a place in the Cubs’ final squad.

And there is history in the making. “Coach Kingston was saying we’d be the first white boys to play for Uganda, which would be history in the making,” Seb said. “It is very special.”

Olly echoed him. “It’s never been done before, so it’s definitely very special.”

But before the history books can be rewritten, Fisher must first win the battle for a place in a talented Cubs squad.

The 39-man provisional group, which reported on September 13, has six goalkeepers, 15 defenders, nine midfielders and nine forwards. Every player is fighting for a place on the final list ahead of the October 10-19 championship in Rwanda.

The Cubs are being prepared by head coach Laryea Kingston, although his attention is currently split between Tanzania, where he is leading the Uganda Hippos at the U-20 CECAFA tournament. First assistant Steven Bengo has consequently taken charge of the Cubs’ daily training sessions.

Olly Fisher and Seb Fisher

The intensity has already made an impression on Seb. “The boys have been brilliant, welcoming, especially in training. The tempo, the standards they set for each other are very good. That’s what you want.”

Olly has noticed the same competitive edge.

“Obviously it’s a lot different to Scotland, like it’s really warm and stuff here compared to Scotland where you’re used to the freezing cold and the rain, but it’s definitely the tempo; that’s a big thing.

“I think the speed of the play is really fast, but like Seb said, they put really high demands on each other, and it’s a really competitive environment, but that’s what you want.”

Olly arrived knowing Kingston from his days in Scottish football, but neither brother knew the players they would find in camp.

“No, I knew who the coach was. I knew Coach Kingston, obviously; he played for Hearts and stuff in Scotland, so I’d heard a lot about him, but I hadn’t met any of the boys before, but now honestly they were absolutely brilliant.”

The Cubs are not short of pedigree. Several players featured in Uganda’s last CECAFA U-17 campaign in Ethiopia, where the team reached the final before Tanzania won 3-2.

That defeat, however, proved to be only a setback. The Ethiopia campaign opened the door to the 2025 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations and helped Uganda qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup for a second successive time.

Under FIFA’s new one-year U-17 World Cup cycle, African nations must first negotiate regional qualification before progressing to the continental stage and eventually the World Cup.

Uganda’s first hurdle is Rwanda, and the Cubs are expected to arrive with unfinished business after Tanzania ended their run of two successive CECAFA U-17 titles in the previous edition.

The regional championship is the gateway to the continental U-17 AFCON championship, making the Rwanda assignment quite important.

The squad reflects Uganda’s deliberate investment in youth development, with players from schools, junior teams and academies across the country, including products of the FUFA Schools of Excellence supported through the FIFA Talent Development Scheme.

On Fisher’s end, the immediate goal is to survive the cut, but the bigger dream is already clear. Seb wants the international experience to make him a better footballer and ultimately help him and his brother when they return to Scotland and continue playing for Thistle.

“That’s what you want as a footballer, being in an international environment,” he said. “It makes you a better player, and hopefully it will benefit the two of us when we go back to Scotland to play for Thistle.”

The Cubs will continue intensive preparations through early October before heading to Rwanda.

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