Massively experienced Uganda Cranes goalkeeper Salim Jamal Magoola is set to join newly promoted English Football League (EFL) Championship side Portsmouth, The Nerve Africa sources have exclusively learned.
A member of Jamal’s camp anonymously disclosed that the goalkeeper has held in-depth secret talks with the club manager John Mousinho for weeks, and that they have been positive.
“There have been talks and they have been positive for Salim (Jamal) to join as the team’s second-choice goalkeeper. It’s a major move and we hope the club will grant the green light,” the source, based in Kampala, revealed.
It should be noted that Jamal is a free agent after the expiry of his contract with South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) side Richards Bay. He has been with the club for the past two seasons, playing 55 times domestically, including 27 in the concluded campaign.
The 29-year-old custodian has previously played for South African side Pretoria Callies FC, Sudan’s Al Hilal Omdurman, and 13-time Uganda Premier League champions KCCA FC. He has featured in elite competitions, including the CAF Confederation Cup and the CAF Champions League.
Having made his national senior team competitive debut in 2014, Jamal has gone on to amass 18 international caps, including making the squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. Uganda finished in the Round of 16.
However, he was recently controversially excluded from the squad set for the 2026 World Cup qualification matches against Botswana and Algeria for his continued vocal demands for the improvement of players’ welfare in Uganda.
