Murshid Jjuuku, a substitute defender of Uganda national team, was waiting for the phone from the hospital.
His wife was in the delivery room – waiting for their triplet to come out to the world.
He was very excited. All the team and the staff knew that although he’s with them preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations, his mind was at the hospital in Kampala. In the middle of the afternoon practice his phone rang. The outgoing Serbian coach, Milutin 'Micho' Sredejovic, is not allowing players to be with their cellphones during training, but he knew Juuku was waiting for this call, so when he saw his player running like crazy to the bench, he smiled and shouted "Go! Take a shower and go quickly!". His wife had labor pains, and he drove like crazy to the hospital. It was not an easy birth. His wife was struggling and he was with her, but the first child from the triplet was born dead. The team had to fly to Tunisia for the training camp, and Juuku was thinking what to do. His wife told him that maybe his stress interferes and that maybe he should go and prepare for the championship. He flew.
On early Saturday morning, in Tunis, his brother called and told him the devastating news: The two girls also fell. The entire triplet has died. Juuku was devastated.
Coach Micho was the first to hug and talk to him. "Murshid, I feel for you and want you to know that we are all here with you. I’ll understand every decision you make, but I suggest you to join the training camp and to travel with us to Gabon. It will help you. We will all play for you and your family in this championship ". This sentence may sound shocking, but Juuku took it positively. He decided to travel to hug his wife and to go back to the training camp with his friends on the team, in order to prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Ugandan team, returned to the tournament after 39 years. The last time was in 1968, when they finished in the second place. The mad Serbian coach, Micho, led them to a very successful qaulifications campaign, and along with goalkeeper Denis Onyango, goalkeeper of the year in Africa, and the experienced striker Geoffrey Massa, Ugandans had hopes to surprise Group D, which includes Egypt, Ghana and Mali. In the previous game versus Ghana their excitement was significant. Except Onyango, who saved them from an unpleasant defeat, the other players were very excited and gave a lot of respect for Ghana's Dede Grant and Iwo. Maybe two much respect. Juuku has not played, but the camera has focused on his face for a second during the national anthem. His tearing eyes were mixed with the emotions of all theUgandan delegation. His personal story has become a uniting power for the Uganda Cranes.
"You ask me if there's a chance that we will win Egypt. I know we did not win against them since 1965, but why not? We studied them excellent; we know them all very good, so why should not we win?" coach Micho said yesterday at the press conference ahead of the game today. So why should not Uganda win tonight? If not for qualifying to the quarter-finals, then for Jjuuku and his triplet.