THE Council of East and Central Africa Football Association (Cecafa) has rubbished claims by Tanzanian clubs that there is no security in Darfur, one of the two host states for 2013 Kagame Club Championship which starts next week.

Tanzanian sides Yanga and Simba say they will not take part in the regional Championships if it is held in Darfur, Sudan as planned.

Cecafa has set the championship to start on June 18 in the Sudanese states of North Darfur and North Kordofan.

The decision follows questions over security in the troubled region being raised by Tanzania’s foreign minister Bernard Membe in Parliament on Monday.

Membe said that the ministry was yet to get clear information as to the security situation in Darfur. He expressed doubts about the quality of accommodation in the war-torn city.

He said that people, who visit the town often wear bullet proof vests, which is discouraging for assurance of players’ safety. This makes the government have doubts, as it is risky to send teams where there was clear threat of security.

Membe said that the government was disappointed to see Cecafa taking the tournament in a place where there is no security.

However, the Cecafa Secretary General Nicholas Musonye told Times Sport yesterday, "Cecafa wishes to take this opportunity to confirm that the security situation in North Darfur and South Gordofan in Sudan is under control.”

He also said that Cecafa has visited the two States twice last month and there is no reason why some individuals want to create fear.

Sabotaging Kagame Cup

He said,"I want to state very clearly that we have noted with concern some attempts by some individuals in the region, who are hell bent on sabotaging Kagame cup.

I want to inform our clubs that they should desist from falling into that trap and stay clear out of politics that these negative individuals are trying to introduce in Cecafa.”

"We shall not allow some individuals who have not done anything to promote sports in the region to interfere with our competitions. We are steadfast in our resolve and we shall continue to support all the efforts of President Paul Kagame,” added the long serving Kenyan official.

Commitment

The Sudan Football Association [SFA], Secretary General Magdi Shams Eldin also said, "We would like to assure you that the Cecafa/Kagame Cup which shall be held in North Darfur state [Al Fashir city] and North Kordofan State [Kadougli City] will be held in a safe and secure atmosphere, and would like also to convey to all members that Sudan FA guarantee the safety and security of all participants in the tournament,” added Eldin.

Tanzanian teams expected to feature in the tournament are Simba, the defending champions Yanga, and Falcon from Zanzibar.

The possible withdrawal of the two Tanzanian sides would be another massive blow to the credibility of the tournament following the decisions of Sudan’s two biggest clubs Al Hilal and Al Merreikh not to participate.

Ethiopian champions St George also opted not to take part in order to concentrate on their Confederation Cup campaign.