As Uganda prepares to host the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) next year, Uganda Cranes legends are complaining about being left out of all the preparations.
They claim to be seen nowhere despite the fact that they should be at the forefront because of what they did for the country while playing for the Uganda Cranes.
The lead voices come from the 1978 Afcon team surviving members.
The year 1978 is a very historic one for Uganda in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
This was the year Uganda performed best in the history of the AFCON, after losing 2–0 to hosts Ghana in the final.
Most of the players who were part of that team have passed away, but a few legends are still alive.
Paul Ssali, Jamil Kasirye and Tom Lwanga are among the few who are still around.
When other countries prepare for major tournaments such as AFCON, former players with such a history are usually at the forefront.
But this is not the case as Uganda prepares to host AFCON 2027 — the legends who lifted the Ugandan flag high have been forgotten, despite their rich history that attracts foreign story tellers and content creators.
Paul Ssali, who was in goal for the Cranes in 1978 Afcon that Uganda Cranes lost 2-0 to hosts Ghana, says being left out is deliberately done.
According to Pastor Paul Musisi, the former players initiative patron, even during the CHAN tournament held here last year, the Cranes legends were treated as though they were insignificant.
“Let them just be involved, let their pictures be used, let them be appreciated and feel part of the project. The 1978 Afcon team carries Uganda’s Afcon history and it is their time to shine,” highlighted Musisi.
According to Godfrey Nyola, another Uganda Cranes legend, those involved in the preparations are proving the saying that “a prophet has no honour in his own country,” because many people from around the world want to learn about their history.
The State minister for Sports Hon. Peter Ogwang says that it is the duty of FUFA to propose names of Uganda Cranes legends for any appointment, assignment or purpose in regard to Afcon 2027 preparations.
“When government proposed political and technical figures for the local organizing committee, FUFA was also tasked to propose names of football people. So, anything football, it is the role of FUFA. It is however a matter we can look at,” Ogwang told this website when contacted.
Uganda will co-host the Africa Cup of Nations next year with Kenya and Tanzania, with matches to be played at Namboole Stadium and in Hoima.
FUFA, together with the government, has already started identifying players from around the world who have links to Uganda, with the aim of having them come and play for the Uganda Cranes so that the team does not disappoint on home soil.
