Football
Andrew Jackson Oryada, KweséESPN 6y

Johnny McKinstry shortlisted for Uganda head coach role

Three foreign coaches including former Rwanda coach Johnny McKinstry have been shortlisted for the vacant Uganda head coach role, as the Cranes seek a replacement for Milutin Sredojevic.

Micho parted ways with Uganda coach three months ago after demanding payment of salary arrears of $54,000.

The Serbian coach had guided Uganda to qualification for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations after 39 years away from the continental high table, and is yet to be replaced permanently, with Moses Basena taking over as interim coach in the intervening months.

"FUFA has forwarded a shortlist of four coaches to government from which the next Uganda Cranes coach will be named," said the FA on Friday in a statement on the federation's official website. "The names were presented to the FUFA Executive after the five-man Technical Panel assessed the CVs of the applicants for the job."

Beyond McKinstry, 41-year-old Frenchman Sébastien Desabre, Belgian coach Emilio Ferrera and Basena are in the running for the job.

The Northern Irishman - 32 - is currently coaching Lithuanian side Kauno Zalgiris, having previously guided Rwanda to the 2016 Africa Nations Championship quarter finals.

He also led Sierra Leone to 50th place in the FIFA rankings two years ago.

The FA said they will discuss the question of the coach's remuneration with the government, before naming the coach before the end of the year.

The State Minister for Sports, Charles Bakkabulindi also told Xinhua that the government have received the final four names from the federation.

"We have been asked by the FA to make a decision on any of the four coaches because the vetting committee that picked the coaches was technical enough," Bakkabulindi began. "[The coaches have the] endorsement of the executive committee of the Federation.

"This time we decided the government gets involved in the recruitment because we shall pay a good percentage of the wages," the minister added.

Former Zambian FA President, Kalusha Bwalya was head of the vetting committee that interviewed the coaches. Over 90 applicants applied for the job, including well travelled Claude Le Roy, Belgian Luc Eymael, Joao Miguel De Castro Ferreira and former Uganda coach Bobby Williamson.

Uganda are expected to name a new coach ahead of the 2018 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) to take place in Morocco next month.

The Cranes are pooled alongside Zambia, Namibia and Cote d'Ivoire in Group B, and will play their first-round games in Marrakech.

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