As Lomami absconds from duty Friendly match December 26 Bahrain v Rwanda Cecafa Cup January 1, 2009Uganda v Rwanda AMAVUBI STARS’ influential player Patrick Mafisango has pulled out of this year’s Cecafa senior challenge Cup set for December 31-January 13 in Kampala, Uganda. Mafisango pulled of the Amavubi squad citing family commitments in Democratic Republic of Congo. Ferwafa Chief Executive Officer Jules Kalisa told Times Sport yesterday that he was granted permission by the technical staff. “He will not be considered in the Amavubi friendly match against Bahrain as well as the Cecafa challenge cup which starts on December 31 in Uganda,” Kalisa said. Mafisango, Jean Lomami and Elias Ntaganda were recently recalled to the team that is preparing to face Bahrain on Boxing Day. The trio had been dropped from the team on the account of poor discipline during their international friendly last month in Lome, Togo. Rwanda went on to lose the game 1-0. The pardon came after a series of meetings held over the weekend. Meanwhile, only Ntaganda has reported to the Amavubi camp at Alpha Palace and is holding training with the rest of the Amavubi team members at Remera turf. The league’s top scorer Lomami has not reported to the team despite being exonerated by Coach Tucak Branko. The Amavubi Stars’ will use the friendly game against Bahrain to add steel to the national team ahead of a tough Cecafa campaign. Amavubi Stars will depart for Bahrain on December 24, two days before the friendly. Rwanda, last year’s beaten finalists start this year’s Cecafa campaign against archrivals and tournament hosts Uganda Cranes on New Year’s Day at Namboole Stadium. Amavubi Stars were drawn in group A alongside Tanzania, Zanzibar and perennial whipping boys Somalia. Group B has defending champions Sudan, Kenya, Burundi, Eritrea and Djibouti and their matches will be based at Bugembe stadium in Jinja. The top two will automatically advance to the last four. Cranes will be seeking redemption after failing to make the penultimate round of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup/African Nations Cup qualifiers. Kenya, Rwanda and Sudan are the only teams in the region that have got that far. It will also be Tucak’s first taste of action in a competition that Rwanda has narrowly failed to win over the past three years. Ends
