Cranes Fans Must Make Namboole a Cauldron

Mark Namanya

4 June 2011

One of the foremost arguments against European football is that it has taken away passion for the local game in the country. There are many who strongly believe that Ugandan football would be a level higher but for the rapid growth of interest in televised European matches in the last two decades.

That argument is for another day. But having seen how Uganda painted Nairobi black, yellow and red when Cranes travelled to play Kenya, there is no denying that fans have learnt a thing or two on how to express their passion and ardent support thanks to television.

After nearly losing my ear drums as one of the 88,000 fans who crammed into Wembley stadium for last week’s Champions League final, I saw how fans can make a significant difference – not that they influenced the destiny of that title – on a special occasion.

Cranes have been terrific in the qualifiers. They thrashed Angola here, picked a valuable point in Nairobi and stunned Guinea Bissau in their backyard. The team’s backline is also yet to be breached. The team, in short, have been outstanding.

Over to you the fans. Yes, the support in Nairobi was amazing and left the Kenyans truly astounded. But Uganda’s campaign is now in the final stretch where decibel levels must hit unprecedented levels to drag the team in the last hurdles.

The three remaining games are all crucial. But because we can’t tell for now how precisely important the matches against Angola and Kenya will be (the mathematics will swing one way then another), it is today’s match that weighs most for the team. That is the message coach Bobby Williamson will be telling the players. Cranes fans too would do well to appreciate the absolute need for victory at Namboole.

With all due respect to Guinea Bissau, they are not Ghana, Guinea or Cameroon. They are not a household name in African football. They are the sort of team that can be intimidated by Namboole.

To score a psychological goal for Cranes, fans need to generate a deafening wave of support that will get into the skins of the West Africans. Awe-inspiring atmospheres increase a home team’s verve while diminishing that of the opponent’s. A cauldron-like Namboole would almost leave Uganda with one leg and a half in Equatorial Guinea/Gabon 2012.

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