Oloya still playing for the Uganda Cranes – Coach Micho

2017 AFCON Qualifiers: Comoros Vs Uganda – Saturday September 5, 2015

Despite not featuring in the Cranes squad summoned to prepare for Comoros, Vietnam based midfielders Geoffrey ‘Baba’ Kizito and Moses Oloya are still Coach Mulitin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic plans.

The Serb revealed this to Kawowo Sports on Friday when asked why the two were left out of the 24 man squad summoned on Thursday to prepare for the 2017 AFCON duel against The Islanders yet they are playing well at their clubs.

“To be true to you, it was a big decision but it had to be,” said Micho. “I admit the two are doing well at the moment but their club schedules are tight. They have a league game on Tuesday and can’t be here to train with us before departure to Comoros,” he added.

Though the ex-SC Villa and Amavubi Coach also left out the duo in the game against Botswana, he went further and said that this time round, only players that can be in the country not later than Monday evening are considered for the job but that doesn’t mean those left out are no longer part of the team citing the Geoffrey Massa incident when he missed the 2015 AFCON qualifier against Ghana.

“It’s a similar scenario to that of Massa when he couldn’t fly in in time for the Niger friendly and FUFA decided that whoever misses that game doesn’t feature against Ghana.”

Micho summoned four goalkeepers; three of which are foreign based with Ismail Watenga returning to the team as the only locally based.

Surprisingly, Watenga has only returned from injury and has so far featured in two competitive games since early May when James Alitho didn’t take over at club but also at the CHAN national team but Micho explains.

“Robert (Odongkara) is already in the country and training with Vipers, Onyango (Denis) has recently been nursing a rib injury while Jamal Salim has some tight schedule which leaves the former as the only we are sure of the foreign legion. For Watenga being ahead of Alitho and Kigonya (Mathias), he has always been and give he is back fit, he had to be back.”

Micho however said that a lot of players were left out but will form the backbone of the CHAN team to feature against Sudan starting with ‘Cranes Namutima’ in September.

In this category, he mentioned KCCA’s duo of Michael Birungi as well as Hakim Senkumba.

“Senkumba has been KCCA’s best performer since last year but he has to pass through stages. I promise he will be on the CHAN team as well as Michael (Birungi) if they continue to play well like they are doing now. The same applies to Kigonya and Alitho.”