KAMPALA, Uganda: June 19 (Xinhua) — Uganda’s national football team Cranes will next month travel to Juba, South Sudan to face their counterpart, a top football official said on Tuesday.
Edgar Watson, the Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) told Xinhua that he had spoken to the South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) and they invited Uganda for the match scheduled for July 11.
Watson said playing their brothers from South Sudan will be good because it will also give the Ugandan coach Bobby Williamson chance to try out certain players who perhaps did not make it in the recent World Cup qualifier against Senegal and the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Congo Brazzaville last weekend.
South Sudan was this year officially admitted into the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
They will have their first test of competition football this year when they send team for the Council of East and Central African Football Associations (Cecafa) Club Championships in Tanzania next month and also the national side for the Senior Challenge Cup later in the year in Nairobi, Kenya.
Yohanis Pouk, the SSFA Secretary General told Xinhua by telephone from Juba that they are ready to host Uganda because it is high time they started playing matches with top sides.
“Facing Uganda will give us the best opportunity because they are a big side in the region and recently qualified for the second round of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers,” said Pouk.
The South Sudan Football official said they will cater for the transport and accommodation for the Ugandan contingent while in Juba. Early this year the South Sudanese had planned a game with Ugandan Cranes but postponed the plans to a later date.
Early this month the South Sudanese appointed Serbian born Coach Zoran Derdevic as their head coach. Derdevic has also coached several top teams in the Middle East and Africa. He also handled national teams of Yemen, Bangladesh, Philippine U-23 and Sudan in 2000. (Xinhua)
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