FOOTBALL–Matia Lule and Ibrahim Sekajja are an invaluable addition to the Cranes technical team interim head coach Moses Basena has said.
Fufa appointed the Express FC and U17 tactician Lule and former Cranes defender and captain Sekajja to boost Basena’s backroom staff as the national team prepares for a double header against African record champions Egypt, with the first leg of the World Cup 2018 qualifier due next week in Kampala.
Basena, who sanctioned the appointments, is happy the duo will add a much needed verve to his team preps.
“I have seen Lule move up the ladder from player to coach and I think his knowledge of the game is outstanding,” Basena said.
“When I was thinking of who to recommend, he was always on top of the list.”
Like Lule, Basena told PML Daily that Sekajja is an inspirational figure admired by not only players but also fans.
“He is that one player that everyone, be it players in the Cranes set up or those that are still in the academy, look up to for inspiration so it had to be him or no one,” he said.
Lule has welcomed the appointment, saying it offers a big opportunity to be part of the making of a history in Uganda football.
“It is a pleasure that I am going to be part of this great revolution in Ugandan football,” Lule said. “It is the first time in a while that a Ugandan (Basena) is at the helm of local football and when he rung me up to ask if I was interested in being part of his staff, there was always going to be just one answer and that is a yes.”
Lule, who is in charge of the U17 team, has now got three important roles to undertake in Ugandan football as he is also the head coach at Express FC.
Asked about the commitment issues that may arise due to the multiple roles, Lule noted that almost all the local coaches that have been on the national team set up have been coaching local clubs at the same time.
Matia Lule, Ibrahim Sekagya, Fred Kajoba and Moses Basena are all expected to undertake their first game as a quadruple when the national team takes on Egypt in a Russia 2018 qualifier later this month before the return leg on September 5.
