Kampala, Uganda, November 20: Uganda national soccer team captain, Andrew Mwesigwa has signalled that he is contemplating to hang is playing boots a day after his team bowed out of 2015 Equatorial Guinea Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
Mwesigwa made two blunders that cost Uganda Cranes a possible group E second qualification slot after his two fouls resulted into a free kick and a penalty that enabled Guinea to chalk a comfortable 2-0 victory.
The Cranes finished the game with 10 men after Mwesigwa was sent off for an early shower after a second bookable offence.
According to Uganda Online media reports published Thursday, the 30 year old defender was contemplating to announce his retirement either upon the team’s arrival in Uganda Friday or after returning to his Kazakhstan base FC Ordabasy.
“He has made up his mind and it was just a matter of time.Mwesiga also added that there is a lot going through his mind and thus he needs to settle down first.
Mwesigwa made two blunders that cost Uganda Cranes a possible group E second qualification slot after his two fouls resulted into a free kick and a penalty that enabled Guinea to chalk a comfortable 2-0 victory.
The Cranes finished the game with 10 men after Mwesigwa was sent off for an early shower after a second bookable offence.
According to Uganda Online media reports published Thursday, the 30 year old defender was contemplating to announce his retirement either upon the team’s arrival in Uganda Friday or after returning to his Kazakhstan base FC Ordabasy.
“He has made up his mind and it was just a matter of time.Mwesiga also added that there is a lot going through his mind and thus he needs to settle down first.
And he might return to Kazakhstan and announce his retirement from there or when the team returns to Uganda,” the Online Daily Monitor reported.
His decision to call it quits followed harsh criticism from the media and a section of soccer fraternity there over his performance in the Wednesday crucial encounter in which his side needed a draw or a win to end a 37 year absence from AFCON finals.
One of the country’s sports anylist, Ismael Kiyonga wrote in his online article that Mwesigwa should call it quits to pave the way for the youngsters and for the sake of his playing career which is in its twilight.
“Not that he should be judged on the Guinea game but its high time he announced his retirement not only to give room to the upcoming stars but also for the good of his career in its evening,” observed Kiyonga.
Former Cranes star, Tom Lwanga who was part of the team that qualified for the AFCON finals in 1978 also shared sentiments raised by Kiyonga saying Mwesigwa has lost pace in his game as manifested in the Wednesday’s match.
He further observed that it was necessary that Mwesigwa quit the stage now while the applause from the audience was still aloud.
“The writing is on the wall. It is time up. He is clearly slower .He is always late while under attack .He should borrow a leaf from his former team-mate Ibrahim Sekagya and leave when he is still liked,” explained Lwanga.
Lwanga also singled out the way the team approached the game especially in the early minutes of the game, as among the factors that cost the Cranes qualification ticket to Equatorial Guinea during which he said they gave their opponents excessive respect.
“The Cranes simply fell back and allowed their opponents to string all sorts of passes and runs. And then when we also got our chances, we didn’t use them,” he added.
The game was played at neutral Mohammed V Stadium, in Casablanca Morocco following Ebola epidemic that has wrecked havoc in some countries in West Africa region including Guinea.
His decision to call it quits followed harsh criticism from the media and a section of soccer fraternity there over his performance in the Wednesday crucial encounter in which his side needed a draw or a win to end a 37 year absence from AFCON finals.
One of the country’s sports anylist, Ismael Kiyonga wrote in his online article that Mwesigwa should call it quits to pave the way for the youngsters and for the sake of his playing career which is in its twilight.
“Not that he should be judged on the Guinea game but its high time he announced his retirement not only to give room to the upcoming stars but also for the good of his career in its evening,” observed Kiyonga.
Former Cranes star, Tom Lwanga who was part of the team that qualified for the AFCON finals in 1978 also shared sentiments raised by Kiyonga saying Mwesigwa has lost pace in his game as manifested in the Wednesday’s match.
He further observed that it was necessary that Mwesigwa quit the stage now while the applause from the audience was still aloud.
“The writing is on the wall. It is time up. He is clearly slower .He is always late while under attack .He should borrow a leaf from his former team-mate Ibrahim Sekagya and leave when he is still liked,” explained Lwanga.
Lwanga also singled out the way the team approached the game especially in the early minutes of the game, as among the factors that cost the Cranes qualification ticket to Equatorial Guinea during which he said they gave their opponents excessive respect.
“The Cranes simply fell back and allowed their opponents to string all sorts of passes and runs. And then when we also got our chances, we didn’t use them,” he added.
The game was played at neutral Mohammed V Stadium, in Casablanca Morocco following Ebola epidemic that has wrecked havoc in some countries in West Africa region including Guinea.
By: Joel Chirwa
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