Nov. 28

Sudan    vs Zanzibar
Rwanda vs Ivory Coast

AMAVUBI head coach Sellas Tetteh and his slimmed-down squad departs for Tanzania this morning ahead of the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup which kicks off tomorrow in Dar es Salaam.

In a frantic day of activity on Wednesday, Tetteh named a 20-man team for the two-week event.
The Ghanaian made two changes from the side that recently lost to Malawi in Blantyre. Rayon Sport’s Peter Kagabo and Hussein Sibomana of Kiyovu have been drafted in the side to beef up the midfield and striking line respectively.

Back to back defeats in the 2012 Africa Nations Cup qualifiers coupled with last week’s defeat against Malawi have piled more pressure on Tetteh but one of his assistants Emmanuel Ruremesha maintains that he is upbeat about the team’s chances.

"The players know what is expected of them and are ready to battle. It is not going to be easy but we are prepared for the challenge,” Ruremesha, who doubles as Rayon head coach said.

Amavubi’s last victory on the international stage came back in May when they edged Tanzania 1-0 to qualify for next year’s Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) in Sudan.

In the two 2012 Nations Cup qualifiers, Amavubi Stars lost 0-3 away to Ivory Coast before succumbing to a similar defeat to Benin in Kigali last month.

And more recently, the wasps succumbed to a 1-2 defeat against Malawi in Blantyre. This year, Rwanda is drawn in Group B alongside Sudan, Zanzibar and Ivory Coast.

Group A has Burundi, Somalia, Zambia and hosts Tanzania while Group C pits defending champions Uganda against Kenya, Ethiopia and Malawi.

Rwanda’s first game is against Ivory Coast this Sunday.
The top two teams and the best two qualifiers from all the three groups will progress to the quarter-finals.

At the end of the two-week event, the winner will pocket $30,000 (Rwf17.7m) while first and second runners up will settle for $20,000 (Rwf11.8m) and $10,000 (Rwf5.9m) respectively.

For the likes of Rwanda, Ivory Coast, Uganda and Sudan, the event is a good platform for CHAN.

Amavubi squad:

J. Luc Ndayishimiye, Evariste Mutuyimana, Patrick Rutayisire, J. Baptiste Mugiraneza, Haruna Niyonzima, Tumaine Ntamuhanga, Clement Mukunzi, Albert Ngabo, Didier Kapet, Abouba Sibomana, Ismail Nshutiyamagara, Aimable Rucogoza, J. Claude Iranzi, Emmanuel Sebanani, Eric Gasana, Kipson Atuheire, Dady Birori, Abed Mulenda, Peter Kagabo, Hussein Sibomana.

Ends