Ugandans to miss Cranes’ long-awaited return to Nations Cup
A majority of Ugandan football fans might miss out on watching their national team at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
The biennial continental football showpiece will commence in Gabon on Saturday, with the Uganda Cranes among the elite 16 national teams set to take part.
However, Uganda’s national broadcaster UBC has issued a circular stating its inability to relay live matches of the three-week long extravaganza owing to the high costs of acquiring the rights.
“Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) shall only be able to air the highlights of the games, and provide radio commentary on all our radio channels,” the station’s Managing Director Winston Agaba said in a statement.
COMEBACK
According to the communique, UBC is required to pay in upwards of Sh55 million, an amount that is about half of the initial offer of Sh110 million for the full rights.
The Cranes, who are making a comeback at this tournament after a 30 year absence, will play against Mali, Egypt and Ghana in the group stages, starting Tuesday.
The tournament matches will alternatively be aired on pay TV stations SuperSport and GOtv, although conservative estimates indicate about 75 percent of households cannot afford the subscription fees.
Kenya’s national broadcaster KBC has also opted out of acquiring the rights owing to the high costs involved, insiders say.
