Uganda Cranes will face Malawi Flames in an international friendly game on August 15 in Blantyre, the Football Federation has announced.
Edgar Watson, the Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA), told URN this afternoon that they had finally secured a build-up with Malawi. The two teams are all battling for a place in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations with the Flames facing Ghana and Uganda facing the defending champions Zambia in the last phase of the qualifiers.
Although early this month Cranes tactician Bobby Williamson told URN that the build-up games were useless because only local based players are the ones who feature, the technical committee of the Federation decided last week that the team should play a build-up game.
The change of heart happened because FUFA believes that even if they managed to get few foreign based players and the locally based players, the friendly game would help preparations more.
The FUFA CEO further revealed that Williamson and the technical committee will soon convene to name the squad before the Federation makes official communication to the players’ respective clubs. He also explained that they decided on August 15 is an official date picked by the federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) for International friendly.
Uganda, Sudan and Ethiopia are the only three nations in the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa) that are still in contention for a place in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations to take place in South Africa.
Uganda Cranes have not qualified for the Africa Cup of nations since their last appearance in 1978 when they lost to Ghana in the finals in Accra. Only Sudan, Rwanda and Kenya are the countries in the region that have qualified for the continental showpiece in the last ten years.
