Cecafa Zonal Afcon U-17 qualifiers finally set to kick-off

The qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) U-17 for the Cecafa region will finally kick-off this afternoon in Rubavu District, Rwanda.

Ethiopia will take on Kenya Junior Stars in a Group A match this afternoon at the Umuganda Stadium.

The tournament which also acts as the Cecafa U-17 Championship was meant to start on Saturday, but was pushed to Sunday after the disqualification of South Sudan after some players failed the MRI tests.

Oliver Page, Kenya’s head coach says they will be determined to win the opening match because that matters a lot in such tournaments. “We cannot underrate any team here, but we need to take our chances. Winning the opening game will help us before playing Uganda in the last Group game,” added Page.

Hosts Rwanda who were originally meant to face Tanzania on Saturday will now battle on Monday at the same Stadium.

The best two teams will qualify for the Afcon U-17 to take place next year between March 13-31 in Morocco.

Auka Gecheo, the Cecafa Executive Director says he expects a successful tournament. The tournament will conclude on December 22^nd.

Group A: Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya

Group B: Rwanda, Tanzania, Djibouti