The Uganda Cranes set up should be feeling good and positive after Egypt was awarded the rights to host the 2019
Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) by Caf this week.
Egypt polled 16 votes of 17 to beat South Africa to host the 32nd edition of the Afcon that will be played from June 15 - July 13.
This is after Cameroon was last November stripped of the rights to host the tournament for the first time since 1972.
Uganda Cranes is one of the teams that already qualified and the choice to return the tournament finals to the Pyramid nation elated coach Desabre Sebastien.
“It is good news because I like Egypt,” the Frenchman said following the announcement in Dakar, Senegal on Tuesday.
“The fans in Egypt are fantastic. For the Uganda Cranes fans, it is near in terms of travel. I am happy but I hope the draw puts us in Ismailia,” Desabre noted.
It is also important to note that Desabre, who guided the Cranes to qualification with three wins and draw and no goal conceded against Tanzania, Lesotho and Cape Verde last year, formerly coached at Ismaily in Egypt.
The North African nation will use eight stadiums in five different cities: Alexandria, Ismailia, Port Said, Suez and the capital Cairo.
This will Uganda’s seventh appearance in Afcon history and the second time the country will feature in the showpiece held in Egypt. It last happened in 1974.
On three occasions, the Cranes have played the Afcon in Ethiopia; that is 1962, 1968 and 1976.
“It is a great honour to participate in the Afcon for the second time in a row and another opportunity to represent our country in Egypt at a highest level on the continent,” Cranes’ attacked Farouk Miya told Fufa media.
“We shall put on the Uganda Cranes jersey with a lot of pride like we have always done. Egypt is good country,” the Croatian based player noted.
The choice of Egypt will delight Uganda as playing there during that time will be with temperatures of average 35 degrees Celcius compared to the winter that would have been in South Africa.
Egypt last hosted the tournament in 2006, winning it before completing a three-peat under coach Hassan Shehata’s guise in 2010 in Angola.
AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS
Uganda’s appearances and hosts
1962: Ethiopia
1968: Ethiopia
1974: Egypt
1976: Ethiopia
1978: Ghana
2017: Gabon
2019: Egypt
This writer is a scribe with Daily Monitor Newspaper and also a sports presenter with Radio One FM 90 in Kampala. Follow him on Twitter: @AllanDarren and his Facebook Page: Darren Allan Kyeyune
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