Uganda Cranes Qualify for CHAN 2020

Written by: 
Geoffrey Mutumba

 

It was joy and happiness for the Uganda Cranes supporters as their team qualified for African Nations Championship (CHAN) on Sunday.

Abdallah Mubiru's boys comfortably qualified for the Total African Nations Championship (CHAN) after a 3-0 win against Burundi in a match played at Phillip Ormond Stadium Lugogo.

  The 2020 CHAN competitions are to be hosted by Cameroon and Uganda Cranes has already sealed its place making its fourth consecutive qualification.

Vipers striker and current leading scorer in the Uganda Premier League, Fahad Bayo, was the first to give the Uganda Cranes fans joy by scoring the opening goal in first half of the match. In the second half, Vian Sekajjugo who was brought in as a substitute scored the second goal and KCCA FC's Allan Okello sealed the win with third goal.

The African Nations Championships (CHAN) is a competition held on the African continent every after two years, fielding home-based players. This is done to give the home players from the local leagues a chance to expose their talents at international level.

In game, Cranes Coach J. Mckinstry left his assistant Abdallah Mubiru to take charge of the team. Mckinstry said that since Mubiru was able to achieve success in the first leg of the encounter, he was better placed to command the boys in the second leg. “I will intervene when the team qualifies for final competitions in Cameron,” he said.

The match also made FUFA, the football governing body in Uganda, to postpone the fixtures of the Uganda Premier League matches as some of the players were on national duty.

Uganda, who eliminated Somalia in the first round before facing Burundi, join Tanzania and Rwanda who also qualified from the Council of East and Central African Football Associations (Cecafa) region.