The Cranes only played one qualification match on home soil, the 1-1 draw with Niger, to open the campaign at St. Mary’s Stadium, Kitende.
Former Uganda Cranes defender Timothy Batabaire believes any conversation around improving Ugandan football should start with working on infrastructure in the country.
While appearing on NBS Sport Friday night, Batabaire highlighted Uganda hosting her home matches on foreign land as one of the significant contributors to the team’s qualification failure.
“You have to win your home games, but again, if we want to improve the brand of football of Uganda, it has to go back to infrastructure,” Batabaire said.
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The Cranes defeated Niger in their final match of Group F but fell short after Tanzania forced a goalless draw with Algeria in Algiers to qualify as Group F’s runner-up.
“No one is going to improve the brand of football without the infrastructure,” he added.
The Cranes only played one qualification match on home soil, the 1-1 draw with Niger, to open the campaign at St. Mary’s Stadium, Kitende.
“That, we are dreaming, we are hoping and again hoping without doing the right thing you are going to be heartbroken like we are now.
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“In football, your home games are your three points almost, and if you want to qualify in a tournament like this one, when you go away, you try to play for a draw so that you can supplement your three points at home.”
Incidentally, Uganda won two away matches against Tanzania and Niger but lost both home ties played in Egypt and Cameroon.
“If you look at the campaign for the Cranes, our home games were in foreign countries, that’s a disadvantage and actually an advantage to the opposition.”
Uganda’s home ground, Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, is still under renovation and cannot host international matches.