How Museveni’s pep talk failed to lift Uganda cranes
On the eve of Uganda’s winner-takes-it all 2015 Africa Nations Cup qualifying clash against Guinea last week, the country’s President Yoweri Museveni reached out to the national team coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic on phone, and shared some useful tips on how he believed the Cranes could pull out a win.
Museveni’s intervention, though unusual, underlined the importance of the match.
Uganda only needed a draw against the West African nation in the game at Casablanca, to secure a first qualification to the African Cup of Nations in three decades.
‘DON’T PANIC’
A majority of the country’s 35 million population was holding its collective breath.
“Don’t panic. Don’t play under pressure. Ugandans are proud of you. Qualify and be part of history. Our boys also need to position well during corner kicks because in the games against Ethiopia and Ghana, we got two goals from such set pieces,” the President told the team coach, according to Uganda FA’s official website.
But the Cranes would sensationally collapse to a 0-2 loss, an outcome that made a mockery of the Presidential decree as witnessed in the two set pieces from which they conceded both goals.
IGNORE ADVICE
So did the team simply ignore the President’s advice or it was simply a case of the President’s words adding no value to the game plan?
Perhaps Museveni should stay away from the football coaching job and just stick to chasing after warlord Joseph Kony and spraying pepper on dissident citizens.