James Bakama
19 October 2008
column
Kampala — UGANDA'S three decade failure to qualify for football's big stage has been littered by all forms of scapegoats.
There was the infamous 1991 Villa boycott that had the resultant Cranes failure to qualify for the 1992 Nations Cup finals blamed on SC Villa owner Patrick Kawooya.
You ceratinly also haven't forgotten the 2003 Uganda versus Rwanda circus where the Cranes blew up a possible qualification because their obsession in Juju.
Events have this time conspired to save the national side from a critical audit by instead putting FUFA's Charles Masembe on the firing line.
Just when the whip was supposed to crack on the Cranes, Masembe offered himself as the sacrificial lamb with misleading news that Uganda had with its win over Benin advanced to the next stage of the qualifiers.
But as Masembe is torn to pieces, everyone seems to have forgotten the more fundamental issue of how we are supposed to pick up the pieces from the failed campaign.
Isn't it time we critically examined our team with a view of a better show in the next qualifiers.
While coach Williamson wants to maintain the current team, I hold a different view.
The current side, which will at kick-off of the next qualifiers in 2010 have an average of well over 30, must immediately be overhauled.
We've over the last five years concentrated our resources on the senior Cranes side yet there is all proof that it doesn't pay to ignore youth structures.
That's exactly why we should concentrate on an U-20 side with few exceptions like Abbey Dhaira as the foundation of the new Cranes.
But maybe even before we talk of overhauling, we should for the benefit of those who still have faith in the current side ask ourselves one crucial question. Is our team good enough?
That question is best answered by the fact that the bulk of the players in current team have thrice failed to make the Cranes qualify.
So, can there be a more opportune moment for a fundamental change in our national team structures?
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