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Mike Azira has on called time on his Uganda Cranes career, announcing his retirement in a statement.

In a letter addressed to Fufa President, Moses Magogo, the midfielder says it has been an honour to represent his country.

“Please accept this letter as a notification that I wish to retire from the National Team effective 14th April 2021. Playing for the national team has been an honour and I’m grateful for the opportunity you gave me to represent my country and my family,” reads the letter in part.

In the letter, Azira lauds the players he has played with, the coaches and the fans.

“I take this moment to thank all the coaches I have worked with over the years and I also thanks to the fans who have always supported us home and on the road.”

Azira follows captain Onyango and defender cum midfielder Hassan Wasswa who announced their retirement on Monday and Saturday last week respectively.

The calm and composed midfielder has featured for the National Team on only ten occasions since making his debut in 2016.

He was part of the final team for the Uganda Cranes at the previous two Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon (2017) and Egypt (2019).

Azira, 33, began his career at Jogoo Young, a youth team attached to SC Villa. He later moved to USA where he has lived since 2008.

Currently, Azira is attached to New Mexico United FC which plays in the USL Championship, the second division of American soccer.

Hassan Wasswa Mawanda has announced retirement from international football.

The utility player retires from Uganda Cranes after thirteen years of service during which he played at Africa Cup of Nations in 2017 and 20019.

With 75 caps, Wasswa served the national team with diligence, commitment, and affluent leadership.

In the message shared on his official Facebook page, Wasswa tagged the day of retirement from the Cranes as one of reflection and gratitude.

Today is a difficult day for me, but it is also a day of reflection and gratitude. Playing for Cranes has been a tremendous honor. During my 13 years as a Cranes player, I’ve always pursued success and winning football games, while preparing and training with the highest standards of competition, passion and perseverance. It has been an honor to represent my family, my teammates and the people of Uganda. With much sadness but without regret, I realize that I am no longer able to adhere to the unwavering standard of excellence that professional football demands. I say this with a heavy heart: I am retiring from the National team. I love the game of football so much, and I know there is truly only one acceptable way to play. Knowing I can no longer compete at a level that I find acceptable, I have chosen to end my Cranes career. This decision is mine alone, and although I know this will not bring me happiness, it is the right and honorable action to take at this time in my life. I cherished every moment of my time with the National team, and it has been such a blessing to play the game for as long as I have played. I anxiously look forward to next Cranes engagement, but this time with the sole focus of being a great fan. Reflecting on my 13 years with the Cranes, and all that was required to reach my current situation, reminded me of the many people I owe humble, sincere gratitude. My parents provided me with the perfect combination of love and discipline, and taught me what hard work and persistence truly are. All that I am, and everything I have done, is because of them. Every time I put on that Cranes uniform, I have always strived to honor them and the principles they stand for, and I can only hope that I haven’t let them down. The coaches I have learned from and played for as a Cranes player have been nothing short of outstanding. It was an absolute privilege to play for all of them, from Coach Lazio Csaba in 2006 to Coach Jonathan McKinstry during my final time. All of the assistant coaches, and entire technical team were absolutely devoted to helping me perform to the best of my abilities. Thank you for your effort and dedication. It was an honor to play for you. To my exceptional teammates, former and current, I owe you everything. I look forward to addressing you formally and privately at a later time, but please know that I love and respect all of you, and not having the opportunity to be around you is what will hurt most of all. Forming friendships and unbreakable bonds of trust on the field is what makes football so special and so important to me. When reminiscing on my Cranes career, I won’t think about games won or lost, but rather, I know I will think about you and the time we shared together, the trust and love we had for each other and the unwavering willingness we had to help each other succeed. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I thank ALLAH every day for all that He has given me: my family, my friends, my teammates and for making me Ugandan. Today, I would like to thank God for having been given an opportunity to play for Cranes, and for allowing me the privilege of a 13-year professional football career. 

Hassan Wasswa, via Facebook

Wasswa played for KCCA, SC Villa and Vipers locally and beyond boarders, the midfielder turned out for St George (Ethiopia), FC Cape Town (South Africa), Karabukspor (Turkey), Altay (Turkey), Kayseri Erciyesspor (Turkey), Dong Nai (Vietnam), Al Shorta (Iraq), Nejmeh Sporting Club (Lebanon), Tala’ea El Gaish Sporting Club (Egypt) and recently Jeddah club in Saudi Arabia.

The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) has parted ways with Uganda Cranes head coach Jonathan McKinstry.

McKinstry leave the Cranes job after overseeing 17 matches in which he won 11, drew 3 and lost as many.

“The Head Coach of the Uganda Men’s National team, Johnathan McKinstry, has today reached an agreement with FUFA to bring an end to his 18 months at the helm of the Uganda Cranes.

“FUFA would like to thank Coach McKinstry and his staff for the work and dedication to developing the Uganda Cranes during their tenure.

“We would like to thank Coach McKinstry for the professionalism demonstrated during his employment with FUFA, and we wish him well in all his future endeavours,” a statement from Fufa reads.

In the interim, Abdallah Mubiru and Livingstone Mbabazi will handle the team with Fred Kajoba remaining the goalkeepers coach.

Uganda Cranes games under McKinstry

  1. Ethiopia 0-1 Uganda – Friendly
  2. Burkina Faso 0-0 Uganda – 2021 AFCON Qualifier
  3. Uganda 2-0 Malawi – 2021 AFCON Qualifier
  4. Uganda 2-1 Burundi – 2019 CECAFA
  5. Uganda 2-0 Somalia – 2019 CECAFA
  6. Uganda 2-0 Eritrea – 2019 CECAFA
  7. Uganda 4-1 Djibouti – 2019 CECAFA
  8. Uganda 1-0 Tanzania – 2019 CECAFA
  9. Uganda 3-1 Eritrea – 2019 CECAFA
  10. Uganda 1-0 South Sudan – 2021 AFCON Qualifier
  11. South Sudan 1-0 Uganda – 2021 AFCON Qualifier
  12. Cameroon 1-1 Uganda – Pre CHAN Tournament
  13. Uganda 2-0 Zambia – Pre CHAN Tournament
  14. Niger 0-3 Uganda – Pre CHAN Tournament
  15. Uganda 0-0 Rwanda – 2020 CHAN
  16. Togo 2-1 Uganda -2020 CHAN
  17. Morocco 5-2 Uganda – 2020 CHAN

Summary of Games

Uganda Cranes captain Denis Masinde Onyango has retired from international football.

Onyango announced his retirement from the Cranes on Monday evening via his social media platforms.

“It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing my retirement from International Football. After much consideration, my family, managers and I decided it was in my best interest to hang my gloves on my beloved Cranes. Big thanks to every Ugandan over the years,” he noted.

Onyango also wrote to FUFA President, Moses Magogo, notifying him and the Federation of his decision to retire from the national team.

“This letter represents my official notice of retirement from the Uganda National Football Team, The Cranes effective April 12, 2021.

“It has been a great pleasure and honour to represent my country and I will always appreciate the experience and knowledge that I have gained while playing for the Uganda Cranes.”

MTN Uganda together with it’s partners Huawei, Stanbic Bank, New Vision, Rwenzori and Spedag Interfreight have announced the 2021 edition of the MTN Kampala Marathon.

The MTN Kampala Marathon, now in it’s 16th year has been a mainstay on the Ugandan sports calendar giving participants “A GOOD REASON TO RUN” because apart from running for health and fitness, they get to contribute towards a community benefiting project. The proceeds from this year’s marathon will go towards improving maternal health services across the country.

The wheelchair race that’s previously happened a week before will now happen on the same day as the main race to foster inclusiveness for all.

Two years ago, we introduced the regional races as a way of expanding the running experience to the regions along with the positive impact it has in the hosting community. Last year, we had races in Mbale, Gulu and Mbarara. These races were very successful and this year we will be taking the regional races to Soroti, Arua and Makasa on Sunday 3rd, 10th and 16th November respectively leading up to the main event in Kampala on Sunday 24th November 2021. All regional runs will be 10km road races and the proceeds will be utilized to improve maternal health services n the same communities.

80% of the maternal and newborn deaths are preventable with the implementation of evidence based high impact interventions like those that the proceeds from the MTN marathon 2019 will be dedicated to implementing.
That’s a good reason to run.
As MTN continues to do good through connecting people, businesses, nations and communities, we believe that the MTN marathon too is playing its role in connecting and uniting Ugandans to causes that have made a difference in the lives of thousands (if not millions).

Get Started

The 2021 edition of the MTN Marathon will be held on Sunday 24th November starting at the Kololo independence grounds with runners participating in either of 4 categories including; the full marathon (24Km), half marathon (21Km), 10Km race, and 5Km wheelchair race/fun run.
Dial *165*77# to register for your kit today. You will be charged 23,000 Shs.

Race Race Date Venue
(for flag off)
Registration Fee Registration and Kit collection dates
MTN Momo Cash Starts Ends
Soroti Marathon (10 Km) Sun 3rd Nov 21 Soroti Independence Grounds 8,000 10,000 16th Oct 21 1st Nov 21
Arua Marathon (10 Km) Sun 10th Nov 21 Gold course grounds 8,000 10,000 21st Oct 21 8th Nov 21
Masaka Marathon (10 Km) Sun 17th Nov 21 Masaka Recreational Grounds 8,000 10,000 28th Oct 21 15th Oct 21
MTN Kampala Marathon (43 Km, 21 Km, 10Km, 5Km wheelchair fun run) Sun 24th Nov 21 Kololo Independence Grounds (Airstrip) 23,000 25,000 12th Nov 21 22nd Nov 21

Prizes

New this year is the Shs 25 million kitty that we have put up for anyone that beats the 42 Km record set last year by Joshua Chemutai (men) of 2:18:27 and Lydia Nasimiyu Wafula (women) of 2:44:59.
This kitty will be shared equally by the two if we get a winner from both sides.