Uganda appoints Irishman McKinstry as football coach

Kampala (AFP) – Northern Irishman Johnny Mckinstry has been appointed as the new coach of Uganda, the national federation announced on Monday, replacing Frenchman, Sebastien Desabre.

“Johnny Mckinstry will now take over the Cranes,” said Edgar Watson, the chief executive of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA).

He later told AFP he hoped the new coach would “build further on the successes the team has attained in the past months.”

McKinstry, 34, formerly worked as coach for the Sierra Leone and Rwanda national teams as well as Lithuanian side Kauno Zalgiris and Saif Sporting in Bangladesh. 

He takes over from Desabre, who left the position in July for Egypt’s Pyramids FC after guiding Uganda to the last 16 of the 2019 Afcon finals.

“I am delighted and honoured to serve Uganda and I thank FUFA for choosing me as the new coach,” McKinstry told AFP. 

“The Cranes is one of the best teams on the African continent and I am excited about the opportunity and I promise to make the team better.”