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Uganda Cranes could play W/Cup matches outside Kampala


Uganda has sounded out Tanzania over the possibility of its national team using the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam for its 2022 Fifa World Cup qualification matches against Kenya’s Harambee Stars.

This is after Uganda’s main stadium in Kampala was declared unfit to stage international matches.

Fifa and Caf banned the Nelson Mandela Stadium, also known as Namboole, following an inspection visit in March 2020.

In arriving at this decision, the inspectors indicated the state of the pitch, pavilion, dressing rooms were way below the minimum required standards.

“In the current circumstances, Uganda only has St. Mary’s Kitende (stadium),” confirmed Harrison Obua, the country’s state minister for sports.

“If the inspection team for the World Cup team does not approve it, I want to put our country on notice that it will have no option but to host the World Cup qualification matches in one of the countries outside Uganda.”

St Mary’s Kitende, which is also referred to as the Vipers Stadium is a private facility owned by Lawrence Mulindwa, a Kampala tycoon.

Uganda used this venue for her recent 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches.

Uganda Cranes are scheduled to face Kenya, Rwanda, and Mali in Group ‘C’ the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches which commence in June.

In the meantime, Uganda’s First Lady Janet Museveni who also doubles up as the Minister for Education and Sports has ordered for the Namboole stadium to be renovated.

But Obua says Namboole lies under the unfunded priorities in this year’s budget since the indicative figures fall under the required UGX 96 billion (Sh2.8 billion) needed for the renovation.