By James Robert Kayindi
The Federation of Uganda Football Association (FUFA) has confirmed that the clash between Uganda Cranes and Taifa Stars will be played at the heart of Kampala in Nakivubo Stadium.
The teams will face off in a return leg of the Championship of African Nations (CHAN) qualifiers preliminary round in which the victor after both legs will progress to take on Sudan. Uganda lead Tanzania with a 3-0 advantage.
According to the federation, the change has already been communicated to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and The Tanzania Football Federation (TFF).
“The initial venue was Mandela National stadium, Namboole but FUFA has chosen Nakivubo after seeking permission from the Continental soccer body but with the acceptance of the Tanzania Football Federation,” reads a statement on the federation’s website.
Meanwhile, Cranes head coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic has responded to reports that play maker Farouk Miya has been dropped from the team.
“It is not true that Miya has been dropped. I was very clear with my explanation to the members of the media yesterday about Miya’s current position and how we want to manage his playing and training time during this Holy month of Ramadan,” he said.
“We need to protect this young player who has been involved in every match of his club and country this year but that doesn’t mean he has been dropped or he is not important to us at this stage of the season,” Micho further clarified.
Uganda seek a third qualification to the biennial tournament whose finals are to be played in Rwanda next year. Uganda participated in the Sudan edition of 2012 and that of South Africa in 2014.
Email Robert: Robert.k.circles@gmail.com