Cecafa, KFF clash over Senior Challenge Cup rights

Cecafa Secretary General Nicholas Musonye and Football Kenya Federation (FKF) chairman Sam Nyamweya are at loggerheads over the hosting rights of this year’s Senior Challenge Cup.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Cecafa Secretary General Nicholas Musonye and Football Kenya Federation (FKF) chairman Sam Nyamweya are at loggerheads over the hosting rights of this year’s Senior Challenge Cup.With FKF keen to remain as the legitimate host for the 2012 edition (rights awarded by the Cecafa congress in 2011), Musonye has confirmed that the tournament has already been moved away from Kenya to Uganda.On Thursday, FKF dispatched a statement indicating that sponsors EABL were happy with the event being held in Kenya but Musonye rubbished the claims."This year’s Cecafa will be hosted by Uganda as we said before. Those talking about Kenya hosting are missing the point.”"As far as we know the sponsors preferred the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup to be taken to Kampala and that is what we will abide by. Nyamweya can say whatever he wants but the decision is final and we will not bend low to start throwing words through the press.”"Cecafa tournaments need a lot of money (for organisation) and we have to ensure we have enough sponsors to enable us manage our expensive budget,” Musonye told SuperSport.com.However, Nyamweya, in a statement maintaining that Kenya will host the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup in November, said, "We are dismayed by efforts from Musonye to move the event to Uganda citing directives from the sponsor, we find this move unpatriotic and in bad taste.”For the last two years, Cecafa has been sponsored by the Tanzanian franchise of East Africa Breweries Limited (EABL). The last time Kenya hosted the edition in 2009, the tournament suffered due to poor fans turnout in the stadiums.Rwanda last hosted the tournament in 2005 were Amavubi finished runners-up to Ethiopia after a 0-1 loss at Amahoro stadium.