Hosts Kenya have suffered a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in the first leg of the final round of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers played on Sunday.

The Kenya Junior Starlets kicked off the match on a high with Brenda Achieng missing the target after only 10 minutes at the Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi.

Against the run of play Cameroon took the lead through Tiwa Melong who placed the ball past Kenya’s goalkeeper Velma Abwire. After a few minutes the hosts created another opportunity, but Joan Ogola’s strike flew over the bar.

After recess, the Junior Starlets attacked on numbers and created many more scoring opportunities through Ogola, and substitutes Mitshell Waithera and Patience Asiko. Cameroon’s goalkeeper Jessica Mabou also made several important saves.

Mildred Cheche, the Kenya Junior Starlets coach said that although the team had played well, they failed to take the scoring chances. “We did all we could but Cameroon defended well to deny us a goal, they scored and resorted to play defensively,” said Chechje who added that have another 90 minutes to play for in the return leg.

Cameroon will host Kenya in the return leg on April 25th, at the Stade Olembe in Yaounde.  The aggregate winner will qualify for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2025 to take place in Morocco.

Kator FC have maintained their lead in the second round of the 2024/2025 South Sudan Premier League.

After finishing second at the climax of the first round, Kator FC returned with more intent and hunger.

On Saturday Kator defeated Karyom FC 6-1 in a match played at the Juba National Stadium to stretch their lead to 46 points from 19 matches played.

In-form Pap Chol netted four goals, while Martin Otwalo and Micheal Taku also got their names on the score sheet for Kator FC, while Sudan Gatyiek scored the only goal for Karyom FC.

Jamus SC, the only unbeaten team in the South Sudan Premier League so far also kept their second spot after a 3-1 win against arch-rivals El Merriekh SC Bentiu in another match played on Saturday.

George Rodriquez gave Jamus SC the lead in the first half, before Mohamed Adil and Mario Taban added two second half goals. Samuel Akinbinu netted the lone goal for the reigning champions El Merriekh SC Bentiu.

It was a sweet win for Jamus SC who have now defeated their arch-rivals three times this season. Jamus SC who have played 16 matches are second on the log with 44 points, while Holy Family FC are third with 38 points. El Merriekh SC Bentiu are placed 4^th on the table.

The 2024/2025 South Sudan Premier League is sponsored by MTN South Sudan.

Tanzania Premier League giants Simba SC are ready to host Stellenbosch FC in the first leg of the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup first leg of the semi-final stage.

Several fans have traveled from Tanzania mainland to witness Simba SC host the South African side on Sunday at the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar.

After seeing off Egypt’s Al Masry at the quarter final stage, Simba Sc head coach Fadlu Davids has made it clear that the first leg in Zanzibar will be very important before they even travel for the return leg.

“We need to handle the game with a lot of caution and also make sure we take our chances that we create in-front of goal. We must play as a team,” added the Simba SC coach.

Che Fondoh Malone, Simba SC defender also made it clear that they must ensure they do not concede a goal to give themselves a chance to advance to the final.

“We need to score as many goals as possible and also defend well enough,” said the defender.

Simba SC will hope that the likes of Elie Mpanzu, Leonel Ateba and Ugandan International Steven Mukwala find their scoring touch. The hosts will also have to keep a close watch on Stellenbosch’s attack with New Zealand striker Andre Ernest de Jong and Sihle

Two female referees from the CECAFA Zone referee Shamirah Nabadda (Uganda) and Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda) are among the referees selected to officiate at the TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Nabadda is among the 14 referees selected, while Mukansanga will be a VAR referee at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) organised competition slated for April 27th to May 18th in Egypt.

The Ugandan Nabadda has also officiated at top competitions like the 2024 Paris Olympics in France and the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Dominican Republic and the CAF African Women’s Championship (WAFCON) in Morocco.

The other referees from the CECAFA Zone who have been selected includes Dickens Mimisa Mnyagrowa (Kenya), while Yasir Abdelaziz Ahmed (Sudan) will also be a VAR referee. The three assistant referees selected from the Zone include; Sirak Samuel (Eritrea), Ally Hamdani Said (Tanzania) and Burundi’s Fides Bangurambona.

The U-20 AFCON which will feature 13 teams including Tanzania and Kenya from the Council of East and Central African Football Associations (CECAFA) Zone.

The four semi-finalists will qualify as the CAF representatives for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup to take place in Chile.

Group A: Egypt, Zambia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania

Group B: Nigeria, Tunisia, Kenya, Morocco

Group C: Senegal, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Ghana