Uganda, South Sudan kick start TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations campaign

_{The Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) representatives Uganda and South Sudan will kick start their campaign in the Total Energies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) this evening.}

_{Zonal champions Uganda Hippos will take up to the field first against The Central African Republic, while South Sudan battle Congo Brazzaville later in Group B matches at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia, Egypt.}

_{Jackson Mayanja, the Uganda Hippos coach has made it clear that every match will be treated like a Cup final because their mission is to qualify for the U-20 World Cup. “We need to to treat the match with a lot of caution,” added Mayanja.}

_{The Uganda Hippos will look to the inspiration of skipper Isma Mugulusi and Travis Mutyaba who recently played for the national team at the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2022 in Algeria.}

_{The second match will see debut making South Sudan come all out to try to prove a point. Stefano Cusin, the South Sudan coach who also manages the senior team made it clear that although they are in Egypt to learn as a team, they will cause some surprises.}

_{“We should not be taken for granted because our team may not have the experience, but they are capable of causing shocks,” added the Italian coach.}

_{The competition competed for by under 20 year olds kick started yesterday with Group A matches that saw Egypt play to a goalless draw against Mozambique, while Senegal stopped 10-man Nigeria 1-0.}

_{The 12-team competition will climax on March 11th. The tournament also doubles as the African qualifiers for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Indonesia. The top four teams will qualify for the World Cup.}