NEWS
CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup: What the coaches say after the group stage
The CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup group stage climaxed on July 24th with nine matches played in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. The coaches had this to say.
Kim Poulsen (Head Coach, Tanzania)
We are very happy to qualify for the semi finals because our preparations were close to zero since the Tanzania Premier League has just ended. We were also in a very tough group and we surely battled strongly to make it to the next stage.
I think Uganda also deserved to be in the semi final because they play well. We shall not underrate our opponents South Sudan who we face in the semi final. We shall have to approach the semi final match very differently.
Morley Byekwaso (Head Coach, Uganda)
I thank the boys because for the fighting spirit they have showed in the two matches. We created several scoring chances in this tournament, but did not use them well. But it’s a good experience for my young team as we still have two more classification matches.
We need to prepare our teams for the future and this tournament is good to try out players.
Julien Mette (Head Coach, Djibouti)
Ofcourse it is not good to see us failing to win or even score a single goal. But I am happy that the young players have got more exposure from the two matches we played against Kenya and South Sudan. It is from such matches that players get more experience and can be able to improve.
Simon James Yor (Head Coach, South Sudan)
Qualifying for the semi final is very good for my players because it means they have more competitive matches to play and this will help them to develop and become better players. We know the Tanzanian team that we face in the semi final is strong, but we shall prepare well for them.
Wubetu Abate Wubetu (head Coach, Ethiopia)
I am not happy with the way my players played the two group games where we picked draws. We need to improve as a team to take our chances and always shoot at goal instead of holding onto the ball and lack that final finish. But the tournament is good for testing and improving our young players.
Jimmy Ndayizeye (Head Coach, Burundi)
I am impressed with the concentration of my players and we hope they can keep focused for the game against Kenya. We have brought some of our young players from Europe to be tested in this tournament and am happy with the progress. Facing Kenya will not be easy because they have showed they are strong by winning their two games in the pool.
Jean Claude Loboko (Head Coach, DR Congo)
Although we failed to qualify for the semi finals, we are happy that the young players are getting the much needed experience from this tournament. Yes we have been good at creating many scoring chances, but finishing remains our problem.
Stanley Khayo Okumbi (Head Coach, Kenya)
Five goals and two wins makes us happy as the technical bench. But we need to tune out minds and prepare well ahead of the tough match against Burundi. Although we have won all our two games in the group stage, I believe we still have to improve on some aspects.
Yohannes Tesfay Giday (Assistant Coach, Eritrea)
Although we failed to win a single game in the group stage, this has been a good outing for the players. We shall try to field players who have not got a lot of playing time in the remaining two classification matches.
Ugandan international Travis Mutyaba has won the 2023/2024 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup with Zamalek SC.
The Egyptian side beat a 10-man RS Berkane (Morocco) 1-0 in the return leg of the final played on Sunday at the Cairo International Stadium. Zamalek who lost the first leg 2-1 qualified on an away goals rule.
Ahmed Hamdi put Zamalek ahead after 23 minutes with the home fans cheering in numbers. Late in the match RS Berkane’s Hamza El Moussaoui received a straight red card.
Although Uganda’s Mutyaba was not on the starting squad for the final, he played some matches to help Zamalek win. ” I am happy that I have been part of this team that has written history, ” says Mutyaba.
The 19-year old Mutyaba joined Zamalek in February this year. Mutyaba who is considered the next big Ugandan star last year helped the Uganda U-18 team win the regional CECAFA U-18 Championship in the final played in Kisumu, Kenya. He also featured in Uganda Cranes two group matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers losing 2-1 to Guinea and defeating Somalia 1-0.
The attacking midfielder last featured for Uganda Premier League side, SC Villa in the 2022/2023 season before he was reportedly set to join Georgian outfit Dinamo Tbilisi.
Tanzania’s Mbwana Samatta and goalkeeper Dennis Onyango (Uganda) are the other players from the CECAFA Zone that have won CAF competition trophies. Onyango helped Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) win the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League in 2016, while Samatta guided TP Mazembe (DR Congo) to the same title a year before where he also emerged top scorer.
Uganda’s most successfull Club SC Villa is finally back to winning ways of the Premier League title after a 20-year wait.
Under the guidance of Serbian coach Dusan Stojanovic, SC Villa stopped NEC FC 2-0 in a crucial match to clinch the 2023/2024 Uganda Premier League title on Saturday at the MTN Omondi Stadium, Lugogo.
After a tense goalless first half which kept the SC Villa fans on their toes, the blues finally got two goals through Charles Lwanga and Hakim Kiwanuka in the second half. The win ensured SC Villa finished with 57 points to win their record 17th League title.
Another Serbian Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic who also won several trophies with SC Villa several years ago was also in the Stadium to witness history being made.
” I thank all the players for the hard work through out the season that has enabled us win the title. I also thank all members of the technical staff and management, ” said a happy SC Villa coach Stojanovic.
Bidco FC who also beat Busoga FC 3-0 in their last match finished second with 56 points, while Vipers SC who brushed aside Mbarara United 4-1 finished third also with 56 points.
Kenneth Ssemakula, the SC Villa captain thanked all his teammates for giving their best through out the season. ” We need to continue to work hard to be able to win more trophies,” added the happy captain.
SC Villa will now represent Uganda in the 2024 CECAFA Kagame Cup to take place in Tanzania in July and later the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.
The national team of Sudan defeated Tanzania 2-1 in an international friendly match played last evening in Saudi Arabia.
Aldhayib Abdirizak gave the Sudan team the lead after 11 minutes at the King Fahad Stadium. Issa Vitalis made it 2-0 for Sudan after 27 minutes.
But after the break, the youthful Tanzanian side led by Belgian based professional Kelvin John pushed forward in search of goals. Ahmad Ibrahim Ahmada Hilika pulled out back for Taifa Stars after 80 minutes.
Kwasi Appiah, the Sudan head coach said that he was happy with the opportunity to have the friendly match to help him test the players.
Taifa Stars acting coach Hemed Morocco said his players made some mistakes early in the game, but improved later after recess.
The second friendly match played between the two teams on May 19th ended 1-1.
The two teams are using the friendly matches to prepare ahead of the matches next month for the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers. Sudan are placed second in Group B with 4 points, while Tanzania are fourth in Group E with three points in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
The CECAFA Kagame Cup 2024 will take place in Tanzania.
The regional tournament organised under the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) will take place from July 20th to 4th August, 2024.
John Auka Gecheo, the CECAFA Executive Director has confirmed that some guest sides will take part in the tournament which will return this year after it was last held in 2021.
“We are glad that this tournament will be returning after two years to provide a brilliant preseason platform for the teams to prepare better before the start of the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League, CAF Confederations Cup and the different Leagues back home,” dded Gecheo.
He explained that besides the respective Premier League champions from the 12 Members Associations including Zanzibar, CECAFA will also invite some other teams to spice up the tournament.
Uganda’s Express FC beat guest side Nyasa Big Bullets from Malawi 1-0 in the final when the tournament was last held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 2021. Tanzania’s Simba SC have lifted the CECAFA Kagame Cup a record six times, while Young Africans SC (Tanzania) and Tusker FC (Kenya) five times each. The teams that have lifted the title three times each include; APR FC (Rwanda), Al Merriekh (Sudan), SC Villa (Uganda) and Kenya’s Gor Mahia FC.
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