Somalia’s star player Abdihafid Mohamed Abdi has said he is delighted to be voted the best player at the just concluded TotalEnergies U-17 Afruca Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The forward helped Somalia make history by stopping South Sudan 3-1 in the final played on October 15^th at the Abebe Bikila Stadium.

To reach the final Somalia ejected 2020 champions Uganda Cubs, while South Sudan eliminated Tanzania. Abdihafid netted three goals in the tournament including the final.

The youngster who is already playing Premier League football with Somalian team Elman SC said besides helping Somalia qualify for the U-17 AFCON 2023, he is glad that he was voted the best player.

Nur Mohamed Amin, the Somalia U-17 head coach praised Abdihafid for leading the team from the front and giving his best. “Abdihafid played an instrumental role in our team and he deserved to be voted the best player,” added the coach.

Other Awards

Fair-Play Award: Ethiopia

Best Goalkeeper: Abdikadir Ali Mohamed (Somalia)

Top Scorers’ Award: Sylvester Otto (Tanzania).

Bronze Medal: Tanzania U-17 team

Silver Medal: South Sudan U-17 team

Gold Medalist: Somalia

_{The third Vice President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Souleiman Hassan Waberi will grace the final of the TotalEnergies U-17 AFCON qualifier for the CECAFA Zone.}

_{Somalia will face South Sudan in the final to be played on Saturday at the Abebe Bikila Stadium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.}

_{Auka Gecheo, the CECAFA Executive Director confirmed that Waberi who is also the President of the Organising Committee for Youth Competitions will arrive later today. “We shall have the CAF third Vice President attend the final day of the tournament. CECAFA President Wallace Karia is also around together with President of the Ethiopia Football Federation Isayas Jira,” added Gecheo.}

_{The two finalists Somalia and South Sudan have already booked slots in the TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 which will take place in Algeria. To reach the final Somalia ejected Uganda Cubs, while South Sudan saw-off Tanzania at the semi final stage.}

_{The qualifiers for the CECAFA region attracted Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Burundi, Somalia and South Sudan. Rwanda and Eritrea who has earlier entered the competition withdrew.}

_{The national U-17 teams of South Sudan and Somalia have made their own history by qualifying for the TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023.}

_{Athough the two teams finished second in their respective groups in the Zonal qualifiers for CECAFA, they bundled top ranked sides Tanzania and Uganda at the semi final stage on Wednesday at the Abebe Bikila Stadium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.}

_{Somalia was the first team to book the ticket after seeing off reigning Zonal champions Uganda 8-7 on penalties after the match had ended 1-1 in 90 minutes.}

_{Jamal Ssemwogere gave Uganda Cubs the lead after 41 minutes, Abdihafid Abdi leveled matters for Somalia two minutes later. After the interval the two teams created several scoring chances, but failed to find the goals. During the penalty shootouts, the Somalia players all converted, while Uganda’s Arafat Nkoola missed his penalty.}

_{The Somalia coach Nur Mohamed Amin said he is happy to make history with the U-17 team and qualify for AFCON. “We now want to win the Cup,” added Amin.}

_{In the second semi final Jonathan Ajoung netted after 36 minutes for South Sudan, but Tanzania made it 1-1 after 71 minutes with a a goal netted by substitute Yassin Manage.}

_{The Serengeti Boys of Tanzania continued to dominate play, but failed to find the goals. The match was decided by penalty kicks with South Sudan winning 4-3. Four South Sudan players converted, while Tanzania’s Yassin Manage and Adolf Hamisi missed.}

_{The play-off and the final will be played on Saturday.The TotalEnergies U-17 AFCON 2023 will be hosted by Algeria.}

_{The TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers for the CECAFA Zone enter the semi final stage this afternoon at the Abebe Bikila Stadium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.}

_{Reigning Zonal champions Uganda Cubs will take to the field in the first semi final against Somalia.}

_{To reach the knock out stage Uganda dispatched Burundi 4-0 and followed it with a 4-1 victory against South Sudan, while Somalia shocked hosts Ethiopia 1-0, and went on to suffer a 2-1 defeat to Tanzania.}

_{Uganda will look to their leading scorer Arafat Nkoola and Alex Yiga who have netted three and two goals respectively, while Somalia hope that Abdihafid Mohamed and Idris Mohamed continue to find their scoring form.}

_{Humuza Lutalo, the Uganda Cubs head coach told Cecafaonline that his players are determined to go past the semi final stage. “We shall not underrate the Somalia team, but make sure we play according to our plan to win the match and qualify for the final,” added Lutalo.}

_{The Somalia coach Nur Mohamed Amin said although they respect the Ugandan team, his team is prepared to give their best on the pitch.}

_{Tanzania will face South Sudan in the second semi final encounter. Sylvester Otto, the leading tournament scorer with four goals will lead the Tanzanian attack as they hope to register their third straight win in the tournament.}

_{Coach Kim Poulsen’s team kick started the tournament with a hard fought 3-2 win against hosts Ethiopia, and went o to stop Somalia 2-1 in the last Group A match.}

_{But Poulsen thinks the semi final will be a very tough stage since a lot will be at stake. “These are young boys whose mental strength is still low. But I have prepared my players to put up a good show and be able to get the best result,” added Poulsen.}

_{The South Sudan head coach Bilal Felix Komoyangi said although they are the underdogs, his team is well prepared. “We know Tanzania is a strong team, but we are ready to face them,” added the coach.}

_{The two teams that qualify for the final will automatically book places to the U-17 AFCON 2023 to be hosted by Algeria.}