Kenya pull out of CECAFA Championship set for Uganda
1st November 2023
The last CECAFA U-15 Championship was held in Asmara, Eritrea in 2019 where Uganda defeated Kenya in the final.
- Kenya notified CECAFA that they would not send a team to the tournament.
- Kenya were beaten finalists in the last event held in 2019.
- The tournament will run from 4-16 November.
Kenya have pulled out of the Council for East and Central
Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) U15 Championship that is scheduled to
take place from 4-16 November in Njeru, Uganda.
This is according to the information provided by CECAFA
Executive Director Auka Gecheo who confirmed the development ahead of the
tourney set to kick off on Saturday.
“Kenya have also notified CECAFA that they will not be able
to send a team for the Championship,” a statement from Gecheo confirmed in a statement
released by CECAFA.
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In the draw conducted by Gecheo on Tuesday, the hosts Uganda
have been placed in Group A alongside Ethiopia, Djibouti and South Sudan with Ethiopia
facing South Sudan in the opening match of the CECAFA U-15 Championship on
November 4.
The hosts and defending champions will also take to the
field at the FUFA Technical Centre, Njeru in the second match of the day on
November 4th.
Group B will see Tanzania, Zanzibar, Somalia and Rwanda
square up against each other.
Tanzania will open their Group B campaign with a match against Somalia on November 5th, while Zanzibar take on Rwanda in the second match on the same day.
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“We expect to have a very competitive tournament and we are
using the competition to prepare our youngsters ahead of the AFCON U-17 Zonal
qualifiers next year,” said Gecheo.
Apart from Kenya, other Member Associations who will not
take part in the tournament include Sudan, Burundi and Eritrea who are enable
to who enter teams.
The last CECAFA U-15 Championship was held in Asmara,
Eritrea in 2019 where Uganda defeated Kenya in the final.
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Kenya is however expected to host the AFCON Under-15
[Pan-African Schools Football] and the Council for East and Central Africa
Football Associations (CECAFA) Under-18 Championship later this month.
CECAFA U15 Championship Pools
Group A : Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti, South Sudan
Group B : Tanzania, Zanzibar, Somalia, Rwanda