We will surprise at the tournament – Uganda beach soccer coach
Uganda beach soccer team aiming to surprise
JOHANNESBURG, April 30 (ANA) – According to Uganda coach Salim Jamal Muwonge his side may be one of the dark horses of the Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) which will be held in Senegal next month.
Uganda will play in Group A of the tournament, Senegal, alongside the host country and two-time winner of the Beach Soccer Afcon (2016, 2018) Senegal, DR Congo as well as Tanzania.
Muwonge said: “My players are ready for the tournament, and we will analyze our opponents sufficiently before going to Senegal. We will surprise at the tournament. We will be in Senegal to fight for our country.”
The tournament will take place from May 23 to 29 in Saly, Senegal.
“The draw is over and now we look to the final tournament. We have a difficult group, but we know how to handle games.
“Senegal is a big team that plays at home. Tanzania is our neighbour and we have faced them on several occasions. DR Congo is new to us, but we have an idea of them.”
The Sand Cranes – as Uganda are known – were scheduled to face Ghana in the qualifiers, but the West Africans withdrew, leaving Uganda with their debut appearance in the finals.
While the news of an automatic qualifier was greeted with joy in Uganda, there were concerns that they would not play some serious matches ahead of the tournament.
The Sand Cranes are not the only debutants. DR Congo and Mozambique will also discover Beach Soccer Afcon for the first time, while Tanzania make their second appearance in the finals.
“The other teams in the tournament are very good, but we will be in Senegal to show people how much Beach Soccer has improved at home.
“Senegal, Morocco and Egypt are all favourites. They are experienced, but we will also come up with tactics to match the rest of the teams. Our goal in this final tournament is to play some great, but above all we want to qualify for the Beach Soccer World Cup.” – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman
