Tusker FC head coach Julien Mette believes his team has a promising future despite suffering a 2-0 defeat to Sudanese giants Al Hilal in their opening CECAFA Kagame Cup match played yesterday.
Rather than dwelling on the result, Mette praised his players for their determination, discipline, and courage against one of the strongest and most experienced teams in African football. He said the performance showed encouraging signs that the Brewers are moving in the right direction.
According to Mette, the biggest difference between the two sides was experience rather than quality. He noted that only Victor Mbaoma and Abud Omar in his squad have previously competed in major continental competitions such as the CAF Champions League or the CAF Confederation Cup.
“That is the lesson of experience at this level. Apart from Victor Mbaoma and Abud Omar, I don’t have any player who has played at the level of Al Hilal in competitions like the CAF Champions League or the CAF Confederation Cup. The players performed very well. I’m not disappointed. Instead, I am optimistic and positively surprised by their performance,” Mette said.
The French coach also revealed that Tusker FC is still in the early stages of building a new squad. He explained that the team has trained together for less than two weeks and includes 12 new players, making it difficult to develop cohesion before the tournament.
Mette further disclosed that Tusker was among the last clubs to confirm its participation in the CECAFA Kagame Cup, leaving the coaching staff and players with limited time to prepare.
“We have been training for less than two weeks. One of our players arrived just two days ago. We were among the last teams to register for the tournament, so everyone—the board, the technical staff, and the players—had to work under pressure. We are still in the process of building this team,” he added.
Despite the defeat, Mette remains confident that Tusker FC will continue to improve as the players gain experience and develop stronger chemistry. He believes the performance against Al Hilal has laid a solid foundation for the team’s growth and success in the matches ahead.
