Uganda unveil young Irish coach McKinstry

Johnathan McKinstry,

Monday Sep 30, 2019. 13:00

Uganda have officially unveiled Northern Ireland coach Johnny McKinstry to lead The Cranes, as he returns to East Africa for the second time.

The 34-year-old is highly regarded as a young coach and made his name when he was a surprise pick for Sierra Leone in 2013.

He also later had a sting with Rwanda, and has also led club sides in Lithuania and Bangladesh.

McKinstry takes over from Frenchman Sébastien Desabre, who led Uganda to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals, but left after the tournament.

The Irishman was reportedly on a short-list that also included the Belgian duo Hugo Broos and Luc Eymael.

The latter has since popped up at South African Premier Soccer League side Black Leopards, while Broos, a Nations Cup winner with Cameroon in 2017, reportedly priced himself out of the running.

Uganda are in a 2021 Nations Cup qualification pool along with Tanzania, Cape Verde and Lesotho, and McKinstry will be confident of negotiating those hurdles for a place in Cameroon.