NEWS
U-17 AFCON: Six Cecafa match officials appointed
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed 36 match officials including six from the CECAFA region to handle matches at the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
Morocco will host the Championship slated for March 14-31st.
The three referees selected from the Council of East and central African Football Associations (CECAFA) include; William Oloya (Uganda), Mohammed Diraneh Guedi (Djibouti) and Eritrea’s Tsegay Mogas Teklu.
Rwanda’s Dieudonne Mutuyimana, Mohamed Nour Abdi (Somalia) and Emery Niyongabo (Burundi) are the assistant referees selected from the CECAFA zone.
Uganda and Tanzania who will represent the CECAFA region at the Championship will join 10 other teams for the tournament that will start a day after the CAF General Assembly in Rabat.
The other teams that have so far qualified for the Championship include; Algeria, Senegal, Mali, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Zambia and hosts Morocco. The competition that will decide the two teams that will represent the Central Zone is still on-going.
Centre Referees
Martin Lebalung Mokele (Lesotho), Patrice Milazara (Mauritius), Tewodros Mitiku (Ethiopia), William Oloya (Uganda), Raphou Adissa Abdoul Ligali (Benin), Mohamed Athoumani(Comoros), Jayed Jalel(Morocco), Sy El Hadji Amadou (Senegal), Franck Jeannot Bito (Cameroon), Gnama Aklesso(Togo), Eldrick Adelaide (Seychelles), Arab Abderazzek (Algeria), Yannick Malala Kabanga(DR Congo), Hassen Corneh(Liberia), Mohammed Diraneh Guedi (Djibouti), Quadri Adebimpe(Nigeria), Tsegay Mogos Teklu (Eritrea), Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco)
Assistant Referees
Ngila Bongele Guylain (DR Congo), Ngoh Adou Herman (Cote d’ivoire), Andriatianarivelo Dimbiniana (Madagascar), De O Saches Lopes Ivanildo Meir(Angola), Helio Correia Semedo (Cape Verde), Mohammed Bakri (Tunisia), Omar Hamid Mohamed Ahmed (Sudan), Youssouf Mohammed Mahmoud (Mauritania), Abdoul Aziz Yacouba (Niger), Dos Reis Montenegro Ablmiro (Sao Tome and Principe), Naciri Hamza(Morocco), Mutuyimana Dieudonne(Rwanda), Mohamed Nour Abdi (Somalia), Emery Niyongabo (Burundi), Ndong Ayecaba Juan Carlos (Equatorial Guinea), Tawfik Teleb Ali Ahmed (Egypt), Fatiha Jermoumi (Morocco), Fanta Idrisa Kone (Mali)
Sudan giants Al Hilal SC have again written history by winning the 2025/2026 Rwanda Premier League title – BK Pro League.
Last season they also emerged champions of the Mauritania Premier League.
The guest side Al Hilal SC were crowned champions after defeating Gasogi United 2-1 in a League match played on Wednesday.
They finished with 70 points, ahead of army side APR FC who bagged 59 points. Another guest side from Sudan Al Merriekh collected 58 points to finish third.
The two Sudan teams were forced to relocate and play as guest sides in the Rwanda Premier League because of the political conflict that affected Football activities back in Sudan.
Al Hilal SC becomes the first club in history to win top-flight league titles in Sudan, Mauritania and Rwanda.
However, according to the regulations by the Rwanda Premier League Board, Al-Hilal SC will not be allowed to represent Rwanda in African competitions.
Al Hilal SC will still play in the play-offs of the Elite League organized by the Sudan Football Association (SFA) to determine which teams will play in the 2026/2027 CAF competitions.
Handled by Romanian coach Laurențiu Reghecampf, Al-Hilal SC also reached the quarter final stage of the 2025/2026 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.
CECAFA Teams Ethiopia and Uganda will take to the field as the 2026 TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kicks off on Wednesday in Rabat, Morocco.
The competition will be played in a festival-style competition model with 30 matches to be played at the Mohammed VI Football Complex.
The opening match on Wednesday between hosts Morocco and Tunisia, semi-finals and final will be played at the Stade Moulay Hassan in Rabat.
Ethiopia will face a tough test in a Group A match against Egypt in what promises to be a thriller. Benjamin Ziemer, Ethiopia’s head coach has made it clear that it will be great to have a good start in the competition.
“We have prepared well in Ethiopia and a few days in Morocco and the players are ready for the campaign,” said Ziemer, an American born coach.
Dawit Kassaw Yirdaw who was one of the top scorers in the Zonal qualifiers last last year together with Biyam Abrha will be some of the key Ethiopian players to watch.
Uganda who are not new to this stage will also start their campaign today in a Group B encounter against debut making DR Congo.
The Uganda Cubs will go into the match breathing with some confidence after stopping Mozambique 3-1 and Mali 1-0 in two friendly matches played in Casablanca last week.
“We have prepared very well and the team is looking in shape ahead of our first match. Our major focus is to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup again like the team di last year and later battle for the title,” says Uganda’s head coach Laryea Kingston.
The Uganda Cubs will look to forward Owen Mukisa and instrumental Henry Muhoozi who are expected to play pivotal roles for the team.
The top two teams in each of the four groups earn direct qualification to the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026, while the other two slots are determined via a playoffs. A total of 10 teams will qualify to represent Africa at the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026.
Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia are the teams that qualified to represent the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) at the 2026 AFCON U-17.
May 13th Fixture
Morocco vs Tunisia (A)
Egypt vs Ethiopia (A)
Cote d’Ivoire vs Cameroon (B)
Uganda vs DR Congo (B)
Aigle Noir Club Sportif are champions of the 2025/2026 Primus Burundi Premier League.
The Makamba based team was crowned last Saturday after their last match that saw them defeat Garage Express FC 1-0.
After 30 matches played Aigle Noir CS finished with 71 points, while Musongati FC came second with 59 points, Flambeau du Centre finished in third place with 56 points.
Aigle Noir CS player Abdi Ineza finished as top scorer with 16 goals.
The three relegated teams include; BG Green Farmers FC, Garage Express FC and Burundi Sport Dynamik.
Aigle Noir CS who are also in the final of the Burundi Cup will now represent Burundi in the 2026/2027 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.
El Merriekh SC Bentiu are the undisputed giants of South Sudan Football in the 2026 season.
A week a goal El Merriekh SC Bentiu emerged champions of the South Sudan Premier League, and today they defeated Al Ghazala 2-1 to lift the South Sudan Cup.
Saleh Ishimwe scored after 32 minutes to give El Merriekh SC Bentiu a 1-0 first half lead at the Juba National Stadium.
After recess Gaetan Masha got his name on the score sheet to make it 2-0 for El merriekh SC Bentiu after 50 minutes. Ayub Khoak pulled a goal back for the Al Ghazala SC team.
Coach Ibrahim Hussein thanked his team for the hard work through out the season. “It has been hard work which has seen the team perform well in the 2026 season,” said the head coach.
The El Merriekh SC Bentiu team received medals and the trophy in a ceremony graced by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Atong Kuol Manyang.
Michael Amin Francis, President of the South Sudan Football Federation (SSFF) and El Merriekh SC Bentiu Chairman Malual Tap Diu also attended the awarding ceremony.
El Merriekh SC Bentiu will now select to either feature in the CAF Champions League or the CAF Confederation Cup in the 2026/2027 season.
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