The 34th CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup, to be held in Tanzania, is all set for kick-off, featuring nine countries from the East African region as well as special invitees from Cote d’Ivoire, Malawi and Zambia.
The tournament, including its predecessor the Gossage Cup, is the oldest international competition on the African continent, having first been played in 1926, and is held in high esteem by the entrants as their regional championship.
The 2010 installment is the third time that the tournament in its current format has been held in Tanzania and runs from November 27 to December 12.
The hosts are in Group A along with Zambia, Burundi and Somalia, a tough pool, and Kili Stars' Danish coach Jan Poulsen has targeted his team’s opener against Chipolopolo as the key game.
“Zambia is a tough opponent; being drawn against them is a challenge. So beating them will be a big achievement,” Poulsen said. “Our aim is to make our fans happy by doing well in the tournament we are going to host.”
Group B sees Rwanda, Sudan, Zanzibar and Cote d’Ivoire do battle, while Group C has the look of a “Group of Death”, with Kenya, their bitter rivals Uganda, Malawi and Ethiopia all in the mix. That pool has 23 tournament wins between them.
The top two sides in each pool qualify automatically for the quarterfinals, along with the two best third-place finishers.
Uganda have won the last two installments of the annual CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup, beating Rwanda 2-0 in the decider in 2009, and as such come into this year’s tournament under the weight of expectation.
“Being the defending champions puts pressure on us, but we were also the defending champions last year and we won,” Williamson said. “Winning the competition means a lot to the squad as it will boost their morale.”
Uganda’s Cranes are by far and away the most successful side in the competition's history with 11 wins in all, followed by Kenya (five), Ethiopia (four), and Malawi and Sudan with three each.
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