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U20 Afcon: 'It is going to be tough and dangerous for Uganda' - Byekwaso
The Hippos qualified for the African competition alongside their neighbours Tanzania
U20 Uganda coach Morley Byekwaso believes his charges are in a dangerous group in the 2021 Africa U20 Cup of Nations.
The Hippos will have to battle for a quarter-final berth with hosts Mauritania, Central African heavyweights Cameroon and Mozambique. The tactician is however hopeful his youngsters will shine and winning the 2020 U20 Cecafa Championship will play a big role psychologically.
"Being the champions of East Africa is a good motivation and therefore we have to go and represent well," Byekwaso told reporters .
"We shall have to put in a lot of effort and also raise our character if we’re to have a good tournament. It is going to be very tough and dangerous in the group."
The Ugandans are currently in camp preparing for the competition and Byekwaso has shed light on what he is working on.
"We have to do a lot of stuff including the raising of our ball usage skills in order to play well and overcome our opponents."
Neighbours Tanzania, who lost the Cecafa finals to Uganda, have been placed in a tough Group C that features Ghana, Gambia and Morocco while Group B has Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Namibia, and the Central African Republic.
The two winners from each group will be guaranteed a place in the quarter-finals of the biennial competition alongside the two best third-place finishers from any of the two groups.
Mali are the defending champions after beating Senegal 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time. However, none of the two nations will be in Mauritania for the competition which will take place from February 14 to March 4.
Nigeria are the most successful team having won the title a record seven times. The competition was founded in 1979 to help introduce African youth to the competitive world. Four top teams from the competition will represent the continent in the 2021 Fifa World Cup to be held in Indonesia in the yet to be identified dates.
Uganda will be aiming at stamping its authority in continental football in youth football after dominating the East African region. On the road to Mauritania, they eliminated Kenya and Tanzania along the way.
