Morley Byekwaso will step down from his role as the Uganda U20 Hippos and Kobs coach after the CECAFA Senior Championship, vomuhabura has learnt.
Byekwaso has been in charge of the Uganda U23 Kobs at the CECAFA Cup in Ethiopia, but will not continue in the role after the tournament in order to concentrate on his new role at KCCA FC.
The former Uganda Cranes midfielder was in July handed a permanent role at the 13-time Uganda Premier League Champions, signing a three-year deal after serving on the interim since March 2021.
He replaced Mike Mutebi, who he served under as assistant coach after the former was sacked by the Kasasiro Boys in March 2021.
Byekwaso, who was elevated to the Kobs’ head coach role in June ahead of the CECAFA finals after a successful period with the Uganda Hippos will heed to his club bosses’ demands that he gives undivided attention to his role at the club.
Byekwaso’s Kobs on Wednesday finalised their engagements at the CECAFA with a 2-1 victory over Eritrea in the placement playoff.
Goals from Steven Mukwala and Najib Yiga in either half of the game played at the Bahir Dar Stadium in Ethiopia helped Byekwaso’s boys to finish fifth at the tournament.
The Kobs are expected to return to the country later in the week after which Byekwaso is expected to tell his bosses at FUFA of his intention to step aside from any further national assignments.
He will then travel to Tanzania and link up with KCCA for the CECAFA Club Championship that gets underway on August 1, with KCCA – the defending champions – playing KMKM.
Before serving as U23 coach, Byekwaso was in charge of the Hippos since September 2019, replacing Ghanaian Paa Fabin Kwesi who stepped down from the role.
Byekwaso was given the role weeks to the start of the 2019 CECAFA U20 championship hosted by Uganda in Gulu. His side were knocked out by eventual winner Tanzania at the quarter-finals.
Fourteen months later, he would have his revenge and hands on the CECAFA U20 title, this time defeating Tanzania in the 2020 CECAFA U20 final in Arusha, that also confirmed the Hippos’ qualification for the AFCON U20.
In Mauritania, Byekwaso again made history by guiding the Hippos to the final – becoming just the second man to guide a Ugandan national team to a continental final.
The Hippos eventually lost to Ghana 2-0. Byekwaso was voted the best coach of the tournament, while his star striker Derrick Kakooza emerged top scorer.
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