Uganda-Iraq friendly off

Uganda will have to look elsewhere for a friendly after it emerged Iraq have been banned from hosting home games until further notice.

The Cranes had secured an international friendly with Iraq in Baghdad next Tuesday as they prepare for next Saturday’s first leg of the Africa Nations Championship (Chan) against Tanzania next Saturday.

But with Fifa reportedly barring Iraq from holding any friendly football matches due to soaring violence in the country, according to the Iraq News Agency (AIN), the game will now not take place.

“We received a notification from Fifa to stop hosting any friendly matches in stadiums in Iraq at the current time, and until further notice, due to the wave of violence,” Naim Saddam, an Iraq Football Association (IFA) official was quoted as saying.

Fufa vice president technical Livingstone Kyambadde confirmed the latest developments.

“We have heard,” he told SuperSport.com, adding, “But we can’t say much as of now. Tomorrow (Friday) we should be in a better position to tell you something on the way forward.”

Winners between Uganda and Tanzania over the two legs will qualify to the Chan, which will be held in South Africa next year.