CECAFA Cup stadiums approved

THREE stadiums proposed by the local organizing committee to host next month’s Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) Senior Challenge have been endorsed by the regional body. According to KickOffEastAfrica.com, Nakivubo and the Mandela National Stadium, Namboole were always going to get the nod while doubts existed about the state of the fast fading Bugembe Stadium located in Jinja. However, Council Secretary, Nicholas Musonye, who was in Uganda to finalise the ‘blue print’ for the regional tournament, gave the thumbs up after visiting Bugembe on last week. “The organizers need to work on a few things to ensure that the stadium is excellent prior to the start of the tourney. I am certain it will contribute positively,” Musonye told the press after his acclimatisation tour. The Head of the local organizing committee, Jowali Kyeyago, also FUFA Vice President-Finance, revealed that the stadium is on the right schedule. When contacted yesterday, Kyeyago told Times Sport on phone from Kampala that Bugembe is undergoing intensive renovation and confirmed its readiness by late December. “Namboole will host the opening and final fixtures of the Challenge Cup while Nakivubo and Bugembe will host the rest of the two-week long fixtures,” Kyeyago said, adding that the stadiums were chosen basing on economic and audience purposes. When asked which stadium will host Rwanda’s fixture, the Honorable Member of Parliament said, “Every country will know its hosting stadium when fixtures have been released,” Kyeyago, Member of Parliament for Bunya County South said. Apart from the 2004 1-0 defeat to Uganda Cranes on her way to qualify for CAN Tunis finals, Rwanda has never won any fixture played on other Ugandan stadium. In 1998, Rwanda suffered a humiliating 5-0 defeat to Uganda Cranes, a game which was played at Nakivubo stadium. The annual Challenge Cup bankrolled by GTV gets underway in Kampala on December 31- January 15 with Sudan seeking to complete a hat trick of CECAFA triumphs. Ends

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CECAFA Cup stadiums approved