Rwanda has been confirmed as hosts of next year’s Kagame/Cecafa club championship, the Confederation of East/Central African Football secretariat said yesterday.
Rwanda has been confirmed as hosts of next year’s Kagame/Cecafa club championship, the Confederation of East/Central African Football secretariat said yesterday.
The Cecafa Secretary General, Nicholas Musonye confirmed the development yesterday in an interview with Times Sport from Nairobi, Kenya that Rwanda will host the lucrative Kagame Cup 2009 edition after hosting African youth championship which will be held from January 18-February 1 in Kigali.
"We have already informed Rwanda on hosting next year’s Kagame Cup and the event will be held after the African youth championship due in Kigali in January,” Musonye said.
However, the local football governing body, Ferwafa seems to have been caught unawares by the development as they have denied having been communicated to by the regional body.
Ferwafa Chief Executive Officer, Jules Kalisa said yesterday that they are yet to receive any formal communication requesting Rwanda to host the tournament.
"We will only have a say on hosting next year’s Kagame Cup edition if anything official is communicated from Cecafa,” Kalisa said.
If Rwanda takes up the task of hosting the annual championship, it will have the privilege of fielding two teams; which will be national league champions Atraco and 2008 Cecafa quarterfinalist APR Fc.
With Cecafa and Ferwafa playing cat and mouse games over hosts of next year’s Kagame Cup, the last word on the hosts will be known later this year during Cecafa’s general assembly that will be held prior to the 2008 GTV/ Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup due for November 8-22 in Kampala, Uganda.
President Paul Kagame has been the official sponsor of the Cecafa club championship to a tune of $60000 since 2002.
Kenya premier league club Tusker is the defending champion after beating Uganda’s URA in the finals in July in Dar se Salaam, Tanzania.
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