NEWS
South Sudan stop Central African Republic, Uganda Hippos held in U-20 AFCON
The Young Bright Stars of South Sudan got their campaign back on track with a hard fought 1-0 win against The Central African Republic in a Group B match played on Thursday night at the U-20 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023.
After losing 2-1 in their opening match to Congo Brazzaville, the South Sudan team returned determined to collect maximum points to brighten their chances of making it to the knock out stage.
It was Paul Mara Jawa’s converted penalty in the first half at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia, Egypt that earned South Sudan the vital three points.
Coach Peter James’ team dominated play against The Central African Republic, but failed to find more goals. “We are very happy that we get our first win in this tournament and we now look forward to our last group match against Uganda. The players are happy and determined to play their hearts out,” added a happy Peter James.
In the second Group B match played at the same Stadium, Uganda Hippos were held 2-2 by a 10-man Congo Brazzaville team.
Josna Loulendo gave the Congo team the lead after six minutes, but the Hippos leveled matters Titus Ssematimba after goalkeeper Christophe Wamba’s error. After 30 minutes the CECAFA Zonal champions made it 2-1 with Saidi Mayanja tapping from close range an Isma Mugulusi cross. Congo Brazzaville had skipper Claude Ngongara sent off for a second bookable offence before the break.
The Red Devils later equalized through Prince Mombouli and defended well to keep Hippos at bay.
Uganda Hippos coach Jackson Mayanja said his players did not play according to the style expected. “We missed a couple of chances, many chances were wasted so there’s nothing to say, Congo is a lucky team,” added Mayanja.
The CECAFA representatives Uganda Hippos and South Sudan will clash in their last crucial Group B match on February 26th, the same day The Central African Republic battle Congo Brazzaville in Cairo.
Group B standing
P W D L GF GA GD Pts
Congo 2 1 1 0 4 3 1 4
Uganda 2 1 1 0 4 3 1 4
S. Sudan 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 3
CAR 2 0 0 2 1 3 -2 0
The Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) has rescheduled the inaugural CECAFA Beach Soccer Championship.
The inaugural Championship which was slated to take place June 6-11th will now take centre stage between July 7-12th in Mombasa, Kenya.
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this postponement may cause to your preparations and plans. Our intention remains to deliver a high-quality competition, and this adjustment will allow us to meet all necessary requirements for a smooth and memorable event,” said CECAFA’s Executive Director, Auka Gecheo.
The teams that have already confirmed participation include; Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zanzibar, Burundi and guest sides Malawi and Seychelles.
APR Football Club have retained the Rwanda Premier League title.
The army side were crowned champions on Wednesday after defeating Musanze FC 3-1 in their last match played at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali. Bosco Rubonneka netted a hat-trick for APR FC.
APR FC who also lifted the Peace Cup finished the season with 67 points from 30 matches played, while their arch-rivals Rayon Sport came second with 63 points.
APR FC will now represent Rwanda in the 2025/2026 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and the CECAFA Dar Port Kagame Cup.
Last year APR FC were runners-up in the CECAFA Dar Port Kagame Cup after losing to guest side Red Arrows FC from Zambia in the final.
Meanhwhile, the Somali Premier League was also decided last week with Mogadishu City Club FC emerging champions with 57 points, while Heegan FC finished second with 51 points.
The other Premier Leagues in the CECAFA region that have already been concluded include; Uganda, Burundi and Djibouti.
The President of the Council of East and Central African Football Associations (CECAFA) attended a historic peace match at the Mogadishu Stadium on Tuesday.
In a sign of solidarity and support, President Augustino Parek Maduot watched the match featuring some African Legends and a selected team. Somalia’s Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre also garced the ceremony.
The African football legends who featured in the match watched by a big crowd included Samuel Eto’o (now Cameroon Football President and CAF Executive Member), Jay-Jay Okocha, and Emmanuel Adebayor. President of the Djibouti Football Federation and FIFA Council Member Suleiman Waberi also featured in the match.
“I am happy to be in Somalia because we must always support our members in the Zone. It is always good to be united as a Football family,” said the CECAFA President Maduot.
Somalia’s Prime Minister said the event marks a significant milestone in their efforts to restore the image and strength of Somali sports. “The presence of international stars and sports leaders shows that global confidence in Somalia is returning,” added Barre.
The match also served as an opportunity to assess Somalia’s readiness to host international fixtures in standard stadiums, amid renewed efforts to upgrade sports infrastructure across the country.
The Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has announced that the national senior side, Taifa Stars will face South Africa in an international friendly match on June 6th, 2025.
Wilfred Kidao, the TFF General Secretray told Cecafaonline on Tuesday that the match will be played away in South Africa during the FIFA window for International friendly matches.
He also disclosed that Tanzania’s team for the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) will also play two matches away to Morocco’s CHAN team on June 7th and 10th respectively.
Meanwhile, Harambee Stars of Kenya will also face Chad in two international friendly matches to be played in Morocco June 7th and 10th respectively.
All the other teams in the CECAFA Zone Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi will also be engaged with International friendly matches.
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