Highlights:
Cranes players to start training on Monday at Namboole stadium
Cranes opponents to be named and handled by FUFA’s respective Regional Football Associations
Cranes coach Milutin Sredojevich has named a 22 man squad for the Tours
Nile special to cater for all players’ training and match allowances
Tour starts on the weekend of 27th-29th June
The Uganda Cranes fans country wide are set to catch their heroes in action when the National team kick off its tour of the FUFA eight regions. Under the codename ‘Cranes Na Mutima’ with the full funding by Nile Special Cranes and spearheaded by the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA), the project will help garner country-wide support for the team in the ongoing Nations Cup qualification encounters. The tour that kicks off in Western region on 29th June at Kakyeka stadium in Mbarara was officially launched today at the headquarters of Moringa Ogilvy in Bugolobi.
Mbarara and Soroti are the Towns in the regions that have been selected to host the exhibition matches during the weekend of 27-29 June and 4-6 July respectively. During the tours, the Cranes will play exhibition games against the respective regional select sides.
Nile Breweries Sponsorship Manager Isaac Sekasi reechoed the fact the Cranes tour is only part of the larger Cranes na Mutima campaign, launched last month with the aim of rallying support for the national team.
‘We do not only want to rally fans to support the Cranes, we want them to do so with passion; na mutima. We want to reignite the fans’ passion for national team. We believe the tours will go a long way in ensuring this objective is achieved. The players will mingle with the fans while the most upcountry fans will also get a-once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch the Cranes live in action. As the 12th players, we play a big role in the destiny and fortunes of our team,” said Sekasi.
“Our hope is that the tour will bring on board new fans and support the Uganda Cranes. This is the only way we are going to have better experiences of supporting the national and regional teams in future. Our team has always exhibited the true champion spirit by getting up after every fall, and that bodes well with our brand identity” he added.
Hinting on the other positive that may accrue from the tour, the FUFA CEO Edgar Watson commended Nile Special for the support towards the project.
“From this tour we intend to achieve more than one target. We shall be rallying fans but the technical team especially the national team coach will use this opportunity to assess various regional players that he has been informed about by the Fufa regional technical teams,” said Watson.
Photo: L-R NBL’s Sekasi, FUFA’s Watson, Technical Director Asuman Lubowa and Finance Director Asuman Lubowa during the officil launch of the Crns Regional tour today at Moringa in Bugolobi.
Photo credit: John Batanudde
