“Sam Ssimbwa appointed Uganda Cranes assistant coach,” FUFA said in a statement, adding; “Uganda Cranes head coach Put Paul Joseph has appointed Sam Ssimbwa as his assistant.”
Sam Ssimbwa has been appointed as the new Uganda Cranes head coach, the Federation of Uganda Football Association [FUFA] has confirmed.
Ssimbwa will work under Belgian Paul Put, who was unveiled as Cranes coach on Thursday morning.
This appointment was made official during a ceremony held at the FUFA offices in Mengo, with the Belgian signing a two-year contract.
“Sam Ssimbwa appointed Uganda Cranes assistant coach,” FUFA said in a statement, adding; “Uganda Cranes head coach Put Paul Joseph has appointed Sam Ssimbwa as his assistant.”
“FUFA has duly accepted the above appointment, and coach Ssimbwa starts his role with immediate effect,” the statement added.
“The other Ugandan officials who will serve as part of the backroom staff shall be announced in due course.”
Ssimbwa returns to the role of assistant with the Uganda Cranes after serving as assistant to Lazslo Czaba in 2010, and he was among two Ugandan coaches that applied for the Cranes coaching job.
Ssimbwa had emerged as the leading candidate and favourite to become KCCA FC’s new permanent head coach, with an initial agreement reportedly struck between the two.
It is not yet clear how his appointment with the Cranes will affect his impending move to his former side at KCCA, but sources close to Ssimbwa reveal that he is open to serving in both roles.
His last coaching appointment was at Kitara FC, who he helped guide to promotion to the StarTimes Uganda Premier League.
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Micho was dismissed following another disappointing AFCON qualification campaign, which saw Uganda finish third in a group that featured Algeria, Tanzania, and Niger.
Following Micho's departure, Morley Byekwaso took the reins on an interim basis.
However, Byekwaso's interim tenure saw the Cranes suffer two losses in the recent international friendly window, with defeats against Mali and Zambia.
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Besides Ssimbwa, Put’s backroom staff will include five other people from Belgium. Sven De Wilde has been named as the Performance Manager, while Mathieu Denis is the Physical Fitness Coach.
Gery Osste is the goalkeeping coach, while Martin Michiel will work as the Physiotherapist. Jelle Sevenhant has been appointed as the Video analyst.
The Uganda Cranes are poised to return to action later this month in the World Cup qualifiers.
Their upcoming fixtures will see them face Guinea and Somalia on the 17th and 21st, respectively, both played away from home.