Uganda captain Andy Mwesigwa believes the Cranes can go all the way and break the 36-year jinx of not qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations this time but does so with a dose of caution.
The Afcon 2015 qualification draw conducted at the Caf headquarters in Cairo, Egypt on Sunday saw Uganda land 189th ranked Madagascar in the second round of preliminaries, with Mauritania/Equatorial Guinea waiting in the third round.
Should the Cranes negotiate the third round successfully, they will join four-time African champions Ghana, Togo and Guinea in Group E; hardly an easy ride.
Mwesigwa, who has featured in every Afcon and World Cup qualification campaign since his debut in 2003, does not need educating on the magnitude of the task.
“With the experience I have had in the past campaigns, I have learnt that you can never know you are there until you are there, no matter how strong or weak the path,”
“So my word to fans and the team is that we shouldn’t be carried away by the draw and the route of this campaign.
“But working together with all the entities involved; the players, fans, Fufa and government, each of them fulfilling their obligations, I think success will be on our side.”
The defender, Mwesigwa, is enjoying some good form at his Kazakhstan Premier League side FC Ordabasy, scoring twice in their 2-1 win over Spartak at the weekend.
He hopes to transform that form to the national team when the Cranes travel to Madagascar for the May 16-18 first leg encounter.
“My form is just a reflection of hard work,” he said, “And I’m praying to God that He keeps me in this shape without injuries throughout the season, and hopefully help my country, together with other players, to achieve our dream of playing at the Nations Cup finals again.”
Source: Supersport
