CECAFA Secretary General Nicholas Musonye. Photo/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 12 –The Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) Senior Challenge Cup returns this year, with Uganda hosting the regional football competition in December after members endorsed it during a consultative meeting held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Monday.
Having not been held in 2018 after Kenya withdrew the hosting rights, members of the oldest regional body committed to contribute to a solidarity fund that will guarantee the staging of the annual competition.
Uganda last hosted the competition in 2012 where they won 2-1 against Kenya in the final stated at the Namboole National Stadium in Kampala.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino
At the same event that was officiated by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and CAF boss Ahmad Ahmad, members attended the inauguration of the Regional FIFA Development Office which will be based in Addis Ababa to cater for the development programmes of CECAFA and the North Zone.
For the second year running, FIFA will fund five activities among the seven that members endorsed the hosting rights to various countries that will commence June to end in December as part of regional football growth.
The programs funded by FIFA are the Under 17 Challenge Cup in Eritrea, Under-17 Women Challenge Cup in Kenya, Under-20 Women Challenge Cup in Uganda, Senior Women Challenge Cup in Tanzania and Under-20 Men Challenge Cup in Uganda.
“FIFA has really helped us in terms of developing football in the region especially women and youth which are the core areas of tapping talent. The Kagame Cup and Senior Challenge Cup is upon us the CECAFA Secretariat to fund it and the good thing is that members have committed to support it and ensure we don’t miss it. This year all the competitions will be successful,” Musonye told Capital Sport.
This year all the competitions will be successful,” Musonye told Capital Sport. Photo/FILE
The meeting that was held on the sidelines of the Africa Union Summit, will see a setting up of a development office in Addis Ababa.
CECAFA is among three regions in Africa that were selected to host FIFA regional offices, with others being set up in Dakar, Senegal and Johannesburg in Sourth Africa.
Other tournaments will see the highly competitive Kagame Cup return to Rwanda in July under the sponsorship of Rwanda President Paul Kagame and Azam TV.
