Dembe shines but Hippos miss Afcon slot

By Fred Mwambu

John Paul Dembe was the silver lining in Uganda Hippos’ dark cloud. He emerged as the top scorer of the Cecafa qualifiers of the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, which concluded on Sunday in Tanzania.

Uganda Hippos, under the tutelage of Matia Lule, failed to make it a third consecutive appearance to the continental finals after losing to Tanzania in the semifinals. Against Tanzania, the Hippos had themselves to blame after failing to defend captain Toto Majub’s goal in the first minute of the second half. Tanzania’s Sabri Kondo slalomed through four Ugandan shirts to score the equalizer from a tight angle before scoring in the 73rd minute to force the game into extra time. Read more

Written by Reporter