KCCA FC were drawn against Egypt’s El-Masry in the Caf Confederation Cup (CCC) round-of-32 draw conducted in Cairo yesterday. KCCA hosts the first leg match on the weekend of April 7 to 9.
Following the one-all second leg result last Saturday at the Phillip Omondi stadium Lugogo against Mamelodi Sundowns, KCCA lost the tie 2-3 on aggregate, dropping to the CCC.
The Ugandan champions now face the daunting challenge of Arab opposition. Ugandan clubs have normally struggled against North African opposition. Therefore, this draw will send a chill down many people’s spines, especially those desperate to see a Ugandan club make it into the lucrative round-of-16 group stages of the CCC.
For whichever team wins the contest between KCCA and El-Masry, there will be a reward of $279,000 (Shs 1 billion). KCCA manager Mike Mutebi does not see why they cannot seize it.
He said: “After playing Sundowns, we have now overcome the nerves. We cannot fear El-Masry. Instead, we just have to be more organized and apply ourselves.”
Mutebi added that to be the best, one has got to beat the best. However, unlike the first leg against Sundowns, which was away in Pretoria, KCCA will this time host first.
To Mutebi, this is significant. He noted that when they beat Angolan side Primeiro de Agosto 1-0 in the first leg of the preliminary round, they went into the second leg with confidence.
This worked up the KCCA side psychologically. But after losing 1-2 to Sundowns in the first leg, the return leg had a pressure element and it was evident in the way KCCA ended up conceding an equalizer.
However, the KCCA/El-Masry tie has one subplot, that has had the two teams linked. In 1992, KCCA sold Jackson Mayanja to El-Masry at his prime. While there, Mayanja became a household name, and was nicknamed Mia-Mia, meaning 100 per cent, a seal of approval for his all-round talent.
The last North African side KCCA faced on the continent, was Club Esperance of Tunisia, losing 1-9 on aggregate back in 1997. But in 1983, KCCA faced Egyptian side Arab Contractors, who knocked them out on penalties 4-2 after a four-all aggregate score.
History, however, favours Egyptian clubs against their Ugandan opponents. Apart from SC Villa’s famous victory (6-5 on penalties after two-all aggregate score) over Al Ahly in 1991, Express, Maroons and KCCA have faltered whenever drawn against Egyptian clubs.
In 1970, Maroons lost 2-6 to Ismaily and five years later, Express fell 1-2 to Al Mehala. And in 2005, Al Ahly walloped SC Villa 6-0 on aggregate.
jovi@observer.ug