Following the announcement of the 36-man provisional squad for the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN), Uganda Cranes head coach Paul Joseph Put has made the first set of cuts after three days of training.
The team is now down to 28 players, with a few notable names left out ahead of the final selection.
Here’s who’s been axed:
Goalkeepers: All goalkeepers have been retained, at least for now.
Defenders: BUL’s Walter Ochora has been dropped from the squad.
Midfielders: NEC’s Ibrahim Thembo, KCCA’s Brian Ijara, and Masaka Sunshine’s Isma Magala are the midfielders who won’t be continuing.
Forwards:
Vipers’ Milton Karisa and URA’s Sadat Anaku both missed out due to injuries and didn’t participate in any of the training sessions.
Denis Omedi and Hakim Kiwanuka became foreign-based players after signing with Rwandan giants APR, thus ineligible for the tournament, which is only open to locally based players.
URA’s Ivan Ahimbisibwe, who had recently been added to the squad, also failed to make the final cut.
In total, nine players have been dropped so far, with two more to be axed ahead of the tournament, bringing the squad to a final 26 players.
The Uganda Cranes will now enter residential training at the Cranes Paradise in Kisasi as preparations intensify.
They’ll find out their group stage opponents on Wednesday when the draws are held in Nairobi, Kenya.
The delayed CHAN tournament will begin on February 1 and run until February 28, with Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania co-hosting the competition for the first time.
Left Out Players:
Walter Ochora
Ibrahim Thembo
Brian Ijara
Isma Magala
Milton Karisa
Sadat Anaku
Denis Omedi
Hakim Kiwanuka
Ivan Ahimbisibwe
