Afcon 2021 Qualifiers: Ugandan coach McKinstry explains omission of Kateregga and Jamal

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The Cranes coach reveals the decision to drop the two players as they embark on preparations for the upcoming matches

Ugandan coach Johnny McKinstry has revealed why heÃ‚Â axed Allan Kateregga and Salim Jamal from the provisional squad for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Northern Irishman is handling the Cranes for the first time after replacing Sebastien Desabre, who was fired after the 2019 Afcon finals held in Egypt.

While naming his team for the upcoming matches against Burkina Faso and Malawi, McKinstry opted to leave out midfielder Kateregga and goalkeeper Jamal, who reportedly were very vocal in the team strike in Cairo in July.

McKinstry offered to steer clear of any talk related to the said strike in Egypt but told the Daily Monitor: Ã¢Â€ÂœI have talked to them all and told them they will help the team in future.

Ã¢Â€ÂœBeing a backup goalkeeper [like Sudan-based Jamal, who has also been cheekily jabbing Fufa on social media] is frustrating because you fly around the world but you donÃ¢Â€Â™t get to play.

Ã¢Â€ÂœI donÃ¢Â€Â™t want three foreign-based goalkeepers on my team and will henceforth be the norm. Two foreign-based and one local-based,Ã¢Â€Â he expounded.

McKinstry admitted he hadnÃ¢Â€Â™t got enough time to ring the desired changes, which explains why a big percentage of the players he summoned was used by his predecessor Desabre.

Ã¢Â€ÂœOur preparation time is remarkably short because I will only get time to work with the full squad on Tuesday when we play the following day [against Burkina Faso],Ã¢Â€Â McKinstry continued.

Ã¢Â€ÂœIf I was to make significant changes it wouldnÃ¢Â€Â™t be possible with the time available.Ã¢Â€Â

Explaining why only five players from the local league had been called, on top of dropping Krizestom Ntambi and Allan Kayiwa, who played in the recent Ethiopian friendly, the coach highlighted the gulf in class.

Ã¢Â€ÂœThere is a gap between the UPL players and the foreign-based [ones] and when we see what they can offer and the others cannot, then we summon them.

Ã¢Â€ÂœI could have called more than five but at the moment I will work with those five [Charles Lukwago, Fahad Bayo, Nicholas Kasozi, Halid Lwaliwa, and Allan Okello].Ã¢Â€Â

The Cranes preparations start on November 9 and they will then face Burkina Faso in the first group match on November 13.

2019-11-02 10:00:02

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