Despite possessing vast skills, the likes of Ibrahim Sekagya, David Obua, Nestroy Kizito and Eugene Sseppuuya, to mention but a few, may call time on their careers without playing in the much-cherished Africa Cup of Nations.

They were part of a Uganda Cranes side that came too close yet too far from qualifying for the Ghana-hosted Africa Nations Cup early this year. The Cranes face Benin in a World/ Nations Cup qualifier at Namboole tomorrow; a game that could mark the end of another campaign that started off on a high with victory over Niger in May.

Truth be told, only a miracle of big proportions can propel Uganda to the next phase of the qualifiers. That definitely hinges on the result from the Angola-Niger encounter, which kicks-off shortly after Uganda-Benin. Should Niger upset Angola and Cranes strikers rain in goals at Namboole, local football stakeholders will breathe a sigh of relief.

But with the experience from the last campaign that saw Uganda miss out on the finals by just a single goal, fans need not to get excited even if the Cranes miraculously sneak to the next phase. All pointers are that something is not right with Uganda's football. If not, how then can one explain why a country that produced Africa Nations Cup finalists in 1978, has failed to churn out a team capable of negotiating a qualifying campaign 30 years later.

Lack of good coaches

Even a clever student would struggle in class without a good teacher to provide the necessary guidance. That's partly why Uganda managed to come good in the 1978 Nations Cup. They were reaping from the sweat of German coach Burkhard Pape, who spent quality time throughout the 60s teaching football basics.

And irrespective of whether the Cranes qualify or not, there is need to enrich Ugandan coaches with techniques to nurture and train players. Newly appointed coach Robert 'Bobby' Williamson is well aware of the role good tacticians can play in reviving Uganda's football.

"Looking at the bigger picture, there is a lot of work to be done before we can expect good results. The little time I have spent here, I have realised Ugandan coaches need basic training before they can be entrusted with players," the Scot revealed after a training session on Thursday.

This, according to Williamson, can have a trickle down effect on all Super League clubs, which would obviously provide the bulk for the national team. We need no reminder that with a league like ours, which is struggling to get back to its feet, largely contributes to the uncertainty of Uganda's football.

Much as Williamson's idea seems very brilliant, it requires patience, an aspect that has been too elusive in Ugandan football. All football administrators seem to be interested in, is taking Uganda Cranes places. This is why most foreign coaches have found it difficult working in Uganda.

While campaigning for the Fufa presidency, Lawrence Mulindwa put it clear in his manifesto that qualifying for Ghana 2008 was a top priority. But the Ghana qualification campaign ended in tears while the current one might even be worse.

Forget Nations Cup

"Let's not look at the Nations Cup as the number one priority. We must get back to the grassroots and build football structures," assistant Cranes coach Sam Ssimbwa points out. "I don't think Ugandans should be crestfallen if our campaign ends on Sunday," he adds.

Citing the example of Zambia, Ssimbwa believes that only fully fledged structures can ensure continuity in the national team. "Does it make any sense if we qualify now and spend more 20 years without playing at the Africa Cup?" Ssimbwa, a former Cranes star, questions.

For starters, the entire Zambia national team (18 players and coaching staff) on April 27, 1993 perished aboard military plane AF-319 after a stop over off the coast of Gabon on the way to Senegal for a 1994 World Cup qualifier.

According to reports, the fatal journey needed two refueling stops and at the first stop in Congo, engine problems were noted. The flight though continued and a few minutes after taking off from a second stop in Libreville, Gabon , one of the engines caught fire and failed. The pilot, who was tired from already having flown back from Mauritius earlier that day, then shut down the wrong engine, causing the plane to lose all power during the climb out of Libreville airport and fall into the water 500m offshore. All 30 passengers and crew died in the accident.

Despite the tragedy, Zambia still managed to assemble a team that reached the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Tunisia where they lost to Nigeria!

It is said, with the help of government, the Zambia football governing body, traversed the whole country organizing regional tournaments that helped them assemble a new national side. God forbid, but if Uganda were to lose about five of the current squad, big championships would be as good as forgotten.

But striker Sseppuuya thinks otherwise. "We have very many good homegrown players who can fit in the team. I believe even when some of us are not around there are guys who can fill our places," he argues.

Maybe Sseppuuya is right. But why then does every Ugandan sulk when Ssekagya fails to show up for an away qualifying match? Mujib Kasule, the proprietor of Proline, one of the few academies in Uganda reckons that government has not given enough support to football.

But going by figures, football enjoys the biggest share of sports funding. Actually Federation of Uganda Basketball Associations (Fuba) president Ambrose Tashobya recently complained that government had turned all its efforts to football, neglecting other sports disciplines as a result. "How can government spend over Shs350m on the Cranes travel for a qualifying match and fail to give Shs20m to a basketball team meant to take part in an African championship," Tashobya argued as he struggled to raise funds to send the national girls team for the Africa U-18 Championship in Tunisia. And his argument couldn't be dismissed.

Instead of investing in the youth and maybe supporting the few academies, too much has been lost in many futile campaigns that just 'swallow' the little available funds. If Cranes lose tomorrow's match, they won't play any football until September 2010. And let no one deceive Ugandans that the team will be a better side. Why not forget about the Nations Cup and make long term plans? It's only unfortunate that we've been denied a chance to watch the current crop of stars taking on Africa.