Yasser Kalyango
11 October 2008
World football governing body Fifa have appointed Egyptian referee Essam Abd El Fatah to officiate the crucial 2010 World Cup/African Nations Cup qualifier between Uganda Cranes and Benin.
The game will be played tomorrow at the Mandela National Stadium, Namboole. Fatah was one of a handful of African officials at the 2006 Fifa World Cup in Germany. He arrived yesterday along with match commissar Ali Hassan from Djibouti.
The Cranes need a victory with a big goal margin if they are to progress to the next round of qualifiers. The last time the Egyptian was in charge of a game, the Cranes felled Nigeria's Super Eagles 2-1. All Cranes professionals have assembled in Kampala for the game.
Fufa and the Benin football governing body have meanwhile agreed on a cost sharing deal to have the entire Squirrels team accommodated at the Metropole Hotel.
The Benin contingent earlier rejected Regency Hotel which Fufa had booked for them. "They are our partners and we are assisting them in very many things including their accommodation at the Metropole Hotel," said Fufa Chief Executive Officer Charles Masembe.
The visitors arrived without their dangerous marksman Razack Omotoyossi who was however expected yesterday. Squirrels manager Alhaji Ely Tetteh confirmed to Daily Monitor that they had even reserved his room at the Metropole Hotel in Kololo.
In a related development, National Insurance Corporation (NIC) has offered Shs360m in insurance cover to the Cranes players. Fufa President Lawrence Mulindwa who attended yesterday morning's training session at Namboole commended NIC for the gesture and urged other corporations to support the national team. "It's a timely motivation for the players and I am confident it will boost their morale during Sunday's match," said Mulindwa.
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