Musisi dreams for a standardized Cecafa Cup

Former Cecafa boss, Kezekiah Ssegwanga Musisi (pic) dreams of having a competitive and standardized Senior Challenge Cup before 2010.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Former Cecafa boss, Kezekiah Ssegwanga Musisi (pic) dreams of having a competitive and standardized Senior Challenge Cup before 2010.

Musisi who in his capacity is an honorary member of Cecafa told Times Sport yesterday that he is always dreaming of having a standardized Challenge Cup which would also attract famous and top personalities from the world’s governing body, Fifa.

"The Cecafa Challenge Cup championship has made a big improvement compared to the years that I was in charge of the regional body.

"Though I was in charge at a time when things were not as smooth as they are today, our football was at its best. During that time we (Cecafa region) produced a good number of star players,” the veteran administrator said.

Musisi further added that young and upcoming players are the key figures that constitute many teams in the regional body and finds this as a tool towards the elevation of football standards in the region.

"I believe that in two year’s; Cecafa will be producing the best professional players to the Europe.

Take a look at your national team (Amavubi), there is only young and excellent players, which is a sign of who well the country is devoted to producing the best (players) in the region,” he added.

In 1973, Kezekiah Musisi hosted the first Cecafa senior Challenge Cup in his capacity as the chairman of the Federation of Uganda Football Federations, Fufa.

Thirty four years later, Musisi remains a key figure in this tournament that brings together the national football sides of 11 east and central African countries.

But it is in football, and particularly Cecafa that his passion lies.

That is why he is picked to officiate as a match commissioner in any of the Cecafa matches, Musisi likes quoting his nationality as Cecafa – an organization he helped form, nurture and would like to see grow from strength to strength,

 Musisi was bestowed with the position of honorary member following his long and distinguished service to regional football.

He is 76 years old, and even as an honorary member, Musisi still prefers doing ‘manual’ work during tournament when any other person would prefer taking his seat and watch things unfold.

No one can claim to understand Cecafa more than him. From the days of William Yeda, who like Musisi is honorary life member albeit less active, to former General Secretaries James Tirop and Sammy Obingo to the current crop of leaders including general secretary Nicholas Musonye and newly elected President Leodegar Tenga.

All that knowledge has come about from his many years in football and sports in general.
He is a former Cecafa and Uganda Sports Council chairman, former vice chairman of the Supreme Council of Sports in Africa (Zone Five).
He was in the team that influenced the entry of Cameroonian Issah Hayatou as President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), after having played a similar role in the election of former Fifa president Joah Havelange.

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