There is something special about longevity anywhere in life. It is a result of persistence and a reward of experience is often guaranteed.Uganda Cranes’ coach Paul Put must have thought of all that when he named his final 28-man squad to feature at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals which kick-off in Rabat, Morocco on Sunday.Of that lot, only the goalkeeping duo of Denis Onyango and Salim Jamal Magoola, skipper Khalid Aucho and defender Timothy Awany do boast of Afcon experience.The quartet will be at each a third Afcon finals, something totally unique for any Ugandan footballer. It is difficult to imagine that the sweet talent of the 80s’ and 90s’ like Majid Musisi, Paul Hasule, Jackson Mayanja and more never got a shot at Afcon. The Cranes on Tuesday in Rabat will kick-off an eighth Afcon in history, those editions split across about three selected generations since tournament inception in 1957.Uganda debuted at the 1962 showpiece and then the 1968 edition, both in Ethiopia. The Cranes competed at three successive editions from 1974 culminating with a silver medal at the 1978 tournament after a 2-0 loss in the final against hosts Ghana.The nation thereafter waited for 39 years before it returned to Afcon and hence, Onyango, Aucho, Jamal and Awany are indeed blessed. They were part of the 2017 squad which played in Gabon and then two years later in Egypt, Onyango being the captain at both tournaments.To cap a ticket to a third Afcon, the quartet will join the elite list of Ugandans including Jimmy Kirunda, Phillip Omondi, and Edward Ssemwanga who notably featured in all games played across the 1974, 1976, and 1978 editions.Between Gabon and Egypt, Onyango played in all seven matches in both editions, keeping one clean sheet when Uganda defeated DR Congo 2-0 in the Group A opener in Cairo six years ago.
Now aged 40, Onyango came out of four years of international retirement in August and will battle for the number one position with Jamal. Jamal did not get a chance to be in goal at Afcon.And even when an opportunity came, goalkeeping coach then the late Fred Kajoba opted for Robert Odongkara to replace Onyango as the latter was stretched off in the 72nd minute against Egypt at the Cairo International Stadium on June 30, 2019.More important to note, the Richards Bays club shot-stopper wasn’t a name expected to make this list a year ago, considering Jamal had been sidelined twice thanks to football administrative clashes and political pressures.Aucho missed the 2017 Group D opener against Ghana in Port-Gentil but played the next two matches against Egypt, still in Port-Gentil and then Mali in Oyem.In Egypt, Aucho played a combined 325 minutes in all four matches against DR Congo, Zimbabwe, the hosts in the group phase and then Senegal at the last 16 stage.In Gabon, Isaac Isinde was at fault for a penalty against Ghana and when coach Micho Sredojevic opted for a change, he switched to a new centre-back combo of Hassan Wasswa and Murushid Juuko and therefore, Awany did not make way onto the pitch.However at the next edition under coach Sebastian Desabre, Awany came off the bench late twice before starting against Egypt and against Senegal, he came on after 18 minutes for injured Wasswa.
The FC Ashdod player Awany has battled injuries in recent spells and now has to battle for a role against Elio Caprodossi, Jordan Obita and Tobby Sibbick in central defence.At whatever stage in Morocco, the quartet’s fighting spirit could come in handy when Uganda seeks to breeze through Group C which has 2004 winners Tunisia, neighbours Tanzania’s Taifa Stars and the three-time champions Nigeria’s Super Eagles. CRANES’ FINAL SQUAD AT AFCON 2025Goalkeepers: Salim Omar Magoola – Richards Bay FC (South Africa), Denis Onyango – Mamelodi Sundowns FC (South Africa), Nafian Alionzi – Defence Forces FC (Ethiopia) Defenders: Toby Sibbick – Burton Albion FC (England), Elio Caprodossi – FC Universitatea Cluj (Romania), Jordan Obita – Hibernian FC (Scotland), Rogers Torach – Vipers SC (Uganda), Kenneth Semakula – Al-Adalah FC (Saudi Arabia), Abdu Azizi Kayondo – FC Slovan Liberec (Czech Republic), Isaac Muleme – Viktoria Žižkov (Czech Republic), Timothy Awany – FC Ashdod (Israel), Hilary Mukundane – Vipers SC (Uganda) Midfielders: Khalid Aucho – Singida Black Stars SC (Tanzania), Ronald Ssekiganda – APR FC (Rwanda), Bobosi Byaruhanga – Oakland Roots SC (USA), Alhassan Baba – FCSB (Romania), Allan Okello – Vipers SC (Uganda), Travis Mutyaba – CS Sfaxien (Tunisia)Forwards: Melvyn Lorenzen – Muangthong United FC (Thailand), Denis Omedi – APR FC (Rwanda), Rogers Mato – FK Vardar (North Macedonia), Reagan Mpande – SC Villa (Uganda), Jude Ssemugabi – Jamus FC (South Sudan), Uchechukwu Ikpeazu – St Johnstone FC (Scotland), Steven Mukwala – Simba SC (Tanzania), James Bogere – Masaka Sunshine FC (Uganda), Ivan Ahimbisibwe – KCCA FC (Uganda), Shafik Nana Kwikiriza – KCCA FC (Uganda)