CECAFA: Rwanda to host Women's Challenge Cup

Rwanda will host this year’s CECAFA Women Challenge Cup in November, Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) President Vincent Nzamwita has said. According to Nzamwita, CECAFA board members have requested Rwanda to host CECAFA Women’s Challenge scheduled for November while Burundi will host the CECAFA U17 next year. After a meeting held in Kenya last weekend, the federation also gave Kenya a go ahead to host the Men’s Senior Challenge Cup. “We had a meeting with other football heads in the region, and nobody wants CECAFA to die. That is why it is important to host it this year and then CHAN next year,” Nzamwita said. However, Nzamwita said the final decision will be reached after consultation with the Ministry of Sports and Culture. The announcement is a sigh of relief for the region’s football enthusiasts who have been starved of inter-country football action for the last two years. The CECAFA Under-17 and Under-20 tournaments have not been played since 2009 and 2010, respectively. For two years now, CECAFA has failed to stage its two main annual competitions-the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup and the Kagame Club Championship. The 12 member states that form the CECAFA bloc include Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zanzibar. editorial@newtimes.co.rw