THE 2013 Cecafa Challenge Cup will kick off on November 28 to December 12 in Kenyan capital of Nairobi, according to the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations.
THE 2013 Cecafa Challenge Cup will kick off on November 28 to December 12 in Kenyan capital of Nairobi, according to the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations.
The regional body’s Secretary General Nicholas Musonye confirmed the development on Wednesday, saying that they have met with the Kenya FA and set the date for the annual competition, which brings together national sides in the region.
He said the Kenya FA have also confirmed their readiness to host the event, which will have Malawi as the only guest side.
During the Cecafa congress held in Kampala, Uganda, last year Rwanda and Kenya were picked as potential hosts. But the Rwanda FA opted to host next year’s event as a dress rehearsal for the 2016 CHAN competition.
The last time Kenya hosted the championship was in 2009 but attendances were depressingly low.
This year’s event will cost the Kenya Football Association an estimated KSh253m (Rwf1. 9 billion). The Kenya FA is yet to get a sponsor after a three-year deal with East African Breweries Limited (EABL) expired last year.
Afcon 2015 preps
The tournament will be held at a time when Kenya is celebrating 50-years since independence and the organizers say, the event will be staged in four major towns of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Mumias.
The two-week event will also give Amavubi Stars coach Eric Nshimiyimana an opportunity to identify his team for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers which kick off early next year.
Having been edged out of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Rwanda will be looking forward to doing better in the regional tournament where they reached the quarter final last year in Kampala.
Former African champions Zambia, Malawi, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana have been invited as guest teams in the championships that brings together other nations from the East and Central Africa region-Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Djibouti, Eritrea, Sudan, Burundi and Somali.
Uganda are the holders of the Senior Challenge Cup. They beat Kenya 2-1 in the finals in Kampala last year.