Northern Irishman McKinstry appointed Uganda Cranes head coach
Thirty-four-year-old Johhny McKinstry has been appointed the head coach of Uganda Cranes, with his immediate task being to improve on the team’s impressive returns off late.
The Northern Irishman was unveiled to the media in Kampala on Monday after signing a three-year contract.
The former Rwanda and Sierra Leone head coach takes over from Frenchman Sébastien Desabre who resigned after the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations where he led the Cranes to the round of 16.
“I have to say I’m honoured and privileged that Fufa made me the offer to come and manage the team, we want to continue growing,” he told the media.
McKinstry beat former AFC Leopards coach Luc Eymael to the job.
McKinstry commenced coaching career as a teenager and has so far worked at New York Red Bulls as a youth coach.
He’s also enjoyed stints in Sierra Leone at the Craig Bellamy Academy.
His breakthrough onto the international scene was when he led Rwanda to the quarter-finals of the 2016 Africa Nations Championship (Chan) quarter-finals before moving to coach Saif SC in Bangladesh.