Shafic Kiyaga
Soccer: The Council of East and Central African Football Associations (Cecafa) have called off this years Senior Challenge Cup.
According to a statement by the Cecafa secretariat, the tournament has been called of due to failure to secure a new host city as well as the calendar change being undertaken by CAF. Kenya pulled out due financial difficulties.
The tournament, the oldest football tournament in the region, had been initially set to take place at the end of this month and the first week of December.
“It was difficult convincing a new host within that period,” said Cecafa general secretary Nicholas Musonye.
The tournament has now been pushed to July, after the completion of the current seasons all over the region. The seniors tournament will be preceded by the Cecafa Kagame Cup in June.
“The other challenge was with the date because now, all the leagues in the region are starting and it would have been difficult to get them to stop so that we can have the national team play,,” Musonye said.
“The Governing Council also, having consulted with sponsors made this decision to push it to July because then, the leagues will have ended. It is the position we will take moving forward.”
Meanwhile Musonye has confirmed that Cecafa will organize an Under-20 tournament which will be held in Uganda in December while they will receive USD1 million every year from FIFA for women and youth football.
“Moving forward our women and youth tournaments will all be catered for. The only thing which we will be sponsoring on our own is the Senior Challenge and Kagame Cup,” Musonye added.
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