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Uganda does not have a facility that meets the required standards to host their first leg match, and FUFA elected to play it at the Kigali Pele Stadium in Rwanda.
Following FUFA’s confirmation that the two Preliminary Olympic Qualifiers games between Uganda and Rwanda will be played on Rwandan soil, Crested Cranes coach Ayub Khalifa is still coming to terms with the decision made by his bosses.
Uganda does not have a facility that meets the required standards to host their first leg match, and FUFA elected to play it at the Kigali Pele Stadium in Rwanda.
“It’s terrible that the first match, supposed to be our home game, will be played in their backyard,” Khalifa said after Uganda’s 3-1 win over Tanzania in a friendly on Friday.
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17:40 - 07.07.2023
FOOTBALL Crested Cranes excel in pre Olympic qualifier test
The victory against Tanzania Twiga Stars serves as a confidence booster for the Uganda Crested Cranes as they gear up for the Olympic qualifiers.
“We have handed them the opportunity. We will not have our 12th player, the fans, and yet for them, they will,” he added.
“They will be confident that they are playing at home, and we will have to double our efforts to get the results.”
FUFA’s decision left many wondering what could have been the reason. The communication from the federation regarding the subject did not spell out the reasons behind the decision.
When the Uganda Cranes had to face Tanzania in June, FUFA decided against hosting them in Tanzania and took the game to Egypt.
Khalifa believes the same arrangement should have been made for the Crested Cranes.
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16:48 - 05.07.2023
FOOTBALL FUFA should explain the decision to host Rwanda in Rwanda
Because it is the same federation that opted for a more expensive option when the Cranes faced Tanzania, questions must be asked.
“If our goal is to go to the Olympics, we should not have opted to host Rwanda in Rwanda.
“I think we should have opted for another country. We would have been at a neutral ground to deny them the home advantage.”
The Crested Cranes will be hosting Rwanda on July 12th at Kigali Pele Stadium, with the two teams meeting for the second leg five days later at the same venue.
The winner on aggregate from that encounter will advance to the second qualification round to face Cameroon.
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