The Cranes open their account against Ghana tomorrow in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Gabon.
It is a moment where everything The Cranes have worked so hard for, over the last decade of ups and downs, will be put to the test at the zenith of African football.
It was a long journey for The Cranes to their final camping place at the Afcon in Port Gentil. From Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where The Cranes played three friendly matches to Addis Ababa, was a tiring six-hour flight plus four hours to Libreville.
Here, Cranes had to wait for two hours in a special suite at the airport, as their visas were processed and their luggage sorted from the Ethiopian Airlines Dreamliner; a huge plane that seats over 300 people. But at least The Cranes were being treated as special guests, as they were served drinks and bites in their suite as they waited.
In fact, by the time they boarded again, they appeared refreshed. And matters were helped by the fact that the final leg to Port Gentil, aboard a ‘Wings of Lebanon’ Bombadier jet, was a twenty-minute flight over the Atlantic Ocean.
However, this still remained an exhausting journey, although The Cranes are expected to shed the fatigue off and get fired up ahead of tomorrow’s match.
Cranes coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic has been emphasizing speed as a key attribute needed for the team to succeed at this level. Yet it is not for the first time.
From the time Micho was hired as Cranes coach in May 2013, he outlined that in international football, quickness of thought and application made the difference between a good team and an average team.
And that was glaringly exposed in their last friendly game with Ivory Coast, where they lost 0-3. But even in the gloom that followed, it was a good lesson to prepare. The Cranes and Ghana have had a long history.
As the irony would have it, the last game The Cranes played at Afcon finals was against Ghana in 1978, losing the final 0-2.
That makes the renewal of their romance with the tournament intriguing. As a team, they are looking forward. The excitement is palpable, but with caution at the same time. Captain Geoffrey Massa said in no uncertain times that this was the stage they have all been dreaming of, and they are determined to give it their best.
Micho set the bare minimum to making it out of the group. And he feels that this group of players has what it takes to surprise everyone. He is confident about their fitness, and believes the occasion will inspire them to beat the odds.
jovi@observer.ug