The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) has officially announced the end of their collaboration with Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic, the head coach of the Uganda Cranes. This decision marks the conclusion of their two-year partnership.

Sredojevic, a Serbian coach who was serving his second term as the Cranes coach, still had one year remaining on his contract, having signed a three-year deal in July 2021.

In an official statement, FUFA stated, “Today, on Thursday, September 14th, 2023, FUFA and Mr. Milutin Sredojevic mutually agreed to terminate the existing employment contract between the two parties.”

FUFA expressed its appreciation for Sredojevic’s dedication and efforts during his tenure as the Head Coach of the Uganda Cranes.

This development follows Uganda Cranes’ failure to qualify for the Cote D’Ivoire 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. Despite a convincing 2-0 victory over Niger in the qualification campaign, the Cranes finished third in their group.

As a result, Tanzania secured the runners-up position, while Algeria emerged as the group leaders, thereby advancing to the finals.

Looking ahead, Uganda Cranes’ focus will now shift to the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, scheduled to commence in November of this year. Uganda finds itself in Group G, alongside teams such as Algeria, Guinea, Mozambique, Botswana, and Somalia.

Meanwhile, it was inevitable that Micho’s departure would come, following mounting calls for his dismissal in recent months.

The disappointing performance of the Uganda team in the African Nations Championships (CHAN) held in January this year, where they finished third in Group B and were subsequently eliminated, further contributed to the decision.

A combination of poor results and an unimpressive style of play overshadowed Micho’s second term as coach, making it challenging for him to fulfill his contractual obligations.