Hockey Cranes coach, Innocent Raskara has attributed Uganda’s loss to Zimbabwe at the ongoing Africa Paris 2024 Olympics Qualifiers in Pretoria, South to ‘technical issues’ and the ‘weather’.
Uganda got their first win at an Olympic Qualifier on Sunday when they were awarded a forfeit 5-0 victory after Nigeria made no show.
The Hockey Cranes then took on Zimbabwe on Monday in their second Pool B game, but despite a spirited display, lost the game 2-1.
Colline Batusa scored the lone goal in that loss, and Raskara is adamant the weather played part in it.
“The loss majorly has come due to some technical issues, individual play, and the nature of the weather,” Raskara said.
“Its very cold out here, as you can see I’m shivering. We have not been training in such weather.”
Despite the unfriendly weather, Raskara is hopeful his side will improve in their next game.
“We had a few mistakes in the game, but hopefully we are prepared enough in our next game. We will try to polish the errors that we made.”
Uganda will face hosts South Africa on Wednesday hoping to avoid a humiliating scoreline. South Africa beat Zimbabwe and Nigeria 10-0 and 4-0 respectively in their opening two games.
The side currently leads Pool B with maximum points. Uganda is placed second due to a superior goal difference.
Uganda is attempting to qualify for next year’s Olympics in Paris, France.
Courtesy Photos
