Sudan Premier League reigning champions Al Hilal are the first team to book a quarter final slot in the on-going 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

Coach Folrent Ibenge’s team battled to to a 1-1 draw against MC Alger in a Group A match played on Sunday at the Cheikha Ould Boïdiya Stadium in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Sofiane Bayazid gave the Algerian side an early 5^th minute lead, but the Al Hilal fought back strongly to level matters through Jean Claued Girumugisha. The Burundian International dribbled past two defenders and unleashed a hard shot that the MC Alger goalkeeper failed to stop.

The draw saw Al Hilal kept top of the table with 10 points and qualify for the knock out stage with two more matches to spare.

“We are very happy that we managed to keep pushing despite conceding an early goal. The players have worked hard to get the draw and qualify for the next stage,” said Ibenge.

Al Hilal who are playing all their matches away from home because of the political unrest in Sudan have won three group matches and drawn once.

The Sudan side will next host Tanzania’s Young Africans SC on January 12^th, 2025, before they play the last match against TP Mazembe six days later in Lubumbashi.

A lone goal by Jean Charles Ahoua was enough to give Simba SC a vital 1-0 win away to CS Sfaxien in a Group A match of the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup.

After stopping the Tunisian side 2-1 in the first leg, Simba SC made sure they collected maximum points against the same side to brighten their hopes of making it to the quarter-final stage.

Ahoua netted the lone goal after 34 minutes at the Stade Olympique Hammadi Agrebi.

The win sends the Tanzanian giants to 9 points in second place behind CS Constantine who humbled Bravos do maquis 4-0 in a later game played on Sunday.

Simba SC will next play away to third placed Bravos do maquis on January 12^th, 2025 and host CS Constantine in the last Group A match on Janaury 19th, 2025 in Dar es Salaam.

The non-elective General Assembly of the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) will take place on January 22^nd, 2025 in Juba, South Sudan.

Auka John Gecheo, the CECAFA Executive Director has announced today that the Assembly has been moved from January 25^th, 2025.

“We decided to make a change to the date in order to give Member Association Presidents time to prepare to attend the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025 draw in Morocco,” added Gecheo.

He also made it clear that the Assembly will take place at the Raddison Blu Hotel in Juba. The Assembly will discuss several aspects including CECAFA competitions for 2024 and the 2025-2026 calendar.

CECAFA under the leadership of Wallace Karia as the President has 12 members; Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan and Zanzibar.

The Harambee Stars of Kenya have settled for a 1-1 draw in their opening match of the Mapinduzi Cup 2025 on-going in Pemba, Zanzibar.

Coach Francis Kimanzi’s team were minutes away from registering a win before Burkina Faso scored late to force the match into a draw at the Gombai Stadium on Saturday night.

After several missed chances in-front of goal James Kinyanjui gave Harambee Stars the lead after firing in a rebound.

The KCB FC striker made no mistake latching onto a well taken Boniface Muchiri free kick that the Burkinabe goalkeeper parried back into play. Kinyanjui fired the rebound into the net four minutes into added trime before the interval.

In the second half Burkina Faso made some changes and created some descent scoring chances, but failed to convert. However, as the match was about to end Aboubacar Traore leveled matters for Burkina Faso after 90 minutes.

In the opening match played on Fridat Zibzibar Heroes sdefeated Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro Stars 1-0 with Fei Toto scoring the lone goal.

The Kilimanjaro Stars will be raging for redemption following their 1-0 loss to the hosts in the opener on Friday.

Skipper Feisal Salum ‘Fei Toto’ scored the only goal in the 51st minute, capitalising on a lapse in concentration in their peer’s defence to slot home.

Action returns on January 6^th, 2025 as Burkina Faso face Zanzibar Heroes.

The tournament which will climax on January 10^th, 2025 and played to celebrate the anniversary of the revolution of Zanzibar is organized by the government of Zanzibar and Zanzibar Football Federation (ZFF).

Table standing

                          P   W   D    L   GF  GA GD Pts

Zanzibar          1    1    1     0     1     0     1     3

Burkina Faso   1    0    1     0     1     1     0     1

Kenya               1     0    1    0     1     1     0     1

Tanzania          1     0    0    1     0     1    -1     0