Midfielder Tonny Mawejje has thanked fans for all the support they have showed him while he was still an active football player.
The former Uganda Cranes player retired from the sport had a testimonial match played to bid farewell to him on Wednesday at the MTN Omondi in Lugogo.
Hundreds of fans turned up at the Stadium to witness Mawejje’s last touches as a player before he sets up a football academy.
Mawejje announced in May this year after featuring for Police FC in the Uganda Premier League that he had retired from football after almost two decades.
The first testimonial match was played on Wednesday to bid farewell to Mawejje between the national Under 23 national team coached by Uganda Cranes head coach Milutin Sredojevic Micho against Tonny Mawejje select team.
The match ended 2-1 in favor of Mawejje’s select team. Uganda U23’s goal came in the 26th minute through Hakim Kiwanuka before Emmanuel Okwi equalized after five minutes, and later Shaban Muhammad scored the winning goal for Mawejje select team in the second half.
Mawejje’s select team was a blend of former Cranes players including former captain Denis Onyango, Hassan Wasswa, and Vincent Kayiizi among others, and current Uganda Cranes players including Yunus Sentamu, Emmanuel Okwi, and Shaban Muhamad, and a few Tonny Mawejje personal friends, coached by George Ssemwogerere.
In the presence of many officials who graced the match including renowned former Cranes coach and Minister Jaberi Bidandi Ssali, Mawejje select-team donned on former Uganda cranes jersey that Uganda Cranes used in the 2017 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations – AFCON in Gabon while the under 23 team used the current cranes’ jersey.
After the game, Mawejje who is going to start a football academy to train “the next-generation midfielders” thanked fans for turning up in big numbers to watch his farewell game.
Speaking to URN, former Cranes skipper Denis Onyango applauded the retiring Mawejje for working hard during his active days and urged young players to buy a leaf from his career.
In fact, Onyango says he was forced to come back from South Africa where he features for Mamelodi Sundowns to attend Mawejje’s farewell because of his diligent service.
Coach George Ssemwogerere also told URN that many players who quest to become top-class midfielders must learn from Mawejje, but also the Federation should empower local football coaches who can scout such players when they are still young.
Mawejje started his football career at Masaka Local Council Football Club in 2003 before playing for the Uganda Premier League sides including Police FC, KCCA FC and later URA FC.
The 35-year old later embarked on an international career and has since played for several international clubs including IBV Vestmannaeyjar in Iceland, Haugesund in Norway, KF Tirana in Albania, and Al Arabi SC among other clubs.
Mawejje was part of the historical squad that played in the 2017 AFCON where Uganda was returning after almost four decades. During his stay on the national team, Mawejje completed 83 caps where he scored eight goals, making him one of the most capped national team players.
Denis Wangoda, one of the fans from Seeta in Mukono said he first heard about Mawejje when he was featuring for URA and fell in love with his style of play. “I watched him when he was still playing for URA FC and he impressed me very much with his style of play.
Another fan from Ntinda Gerrad Muwonge told URN that he saw Mawejje rising up from Masaka local council FC until he reached the national team. He however believes Mawejje’s absence will leave a huge vacuum in the team.
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