Mawejje axed as Uganda coach McKinstry trims local squad for Afcon duty

Uganda Cranes coach Johnathan McKinstry has whittled down his squad of local-based players as the team prepares for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Sudan.

The Northern Irish tactician had initially summoned a squad of 20 players from local clubs in the Ugandan Premier League (UPL) but after six days of training, he has trimmed the squad down to seven, who will now link up with the foreign-based players.

Some of the players who have been left out are the experienced trio of Tonny Mawejje, Denis Iguma, and Murushid Jjuuko, who were handed a recall to the national team despite staying out of action for almost a year each.

Iguma had just returned from injury, while Mawejje has not played active football since leaving Al-Arabi last year and Juuko only signed for Express FC two weeks ago after a year out without action.

The players who made the final cut include goalkeeper Charles Lukwago, defenders Halid Lwaliwa, Disan Galiwango, and Patrick Mbowa as well as midfielders Shafik Kagimu, Karim Watambala, and forward Brian Aheebwa.

In an earlier interview, McKinstry defended his decision to call up the three players by stating and as quoted by Kawowo Sports: “There are three guys who have huge experience and have played at really high levels of the game but for some reason, the last nine or ten months have not been as they would have liked them to be.

“But also for all of them, they have moved categories recently because by signing for a UPL team means they are eligible for Chan.

“We are going to start preparing for chan around December 14. So, if I wait until then to see Tony [Mawejje], Murushid [Juuko], and Denis [Iguma] in our training environment then it is probably late for them.

“This was a case of we have six days training with the local guys so let’s bring them in and see where they are physically and technically and even how they fit into our system.

“If you think about it, the type of Cranes team that they played under is a different one that we are building now, so it is a great opportunity for them to come and see how we are developing the team.

“You should never discard experience because it is so valuable. The trio holds huge experience that can only help the young boys but it is down to their performance. No one gets a free ticket just because of their experience.”

Uganda will host South Sudan in the first meeting on November 12 at St Mary’s Stadium Kitende (4 pm) before they face off again five days later in Kenya.