Rwanda is eager to participate in inaugural Africa Nations Championships despite being in the dim about the rules and regulations of the new competition. The tournament was initiated recently by the continental body, CAF and will give locally based players an opportunity to exhibit their talent. Ferwafa Chief Executive Officer told Times Sport this week that they have written a confirmation letter to CAF as they wait for rules of the competition to be drafted.“We shall participate in the event but we’re still waiting for Caf to draft the rules and regulations about the new competition.“This competition will help local players gain experience and it will also help in elevating the football standards in the country,” Kalisa said.The Amavubi Stars’ team will compete in Group 5 or East Zone, alongside Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Sudan and Tanzania in the competition set to start in 2008.Only players who feature in their domestic leagues will be eligible to participate. One team will emerge from each Zone to join the hosts in the Championship to be staged once every two years, alternating with the African Cup of Nations. The qualifying phase will take place every even year and the final every odd year. Ferwafa sees this new tournament as away of bringing about competition in the local league as players fight for the few places on the national team, a feat which will improve football at the grassroots and increase consistency.Professional players, regardless of where they play, even in Africa, do not qualify to take part in this championship. Eight countries from the six Caf zones will take part in the first edition of the finals in 2009.Ends
