Amavubi start CHAN preps

AMAVUBI Stars are expected to regroup this morning ahead of next week’s African Nation Championship (CHAN) qualifier against Eritrea. A provisional squad of 20 players will start training at ferwafa grounds under the tutelage of assistant coach Eric Nshimiyimana. The team will be locked in intensive sessions for the next five days before flying to Asmara next Wednesday for the first leg. The team comprises of players who featured in last year’s Cecafa Challenge Cup and friendly match between Rwanda and Ivory Coast. Like other nations, Rwanda is chasing for a ticket to next year’s competition in Sudan after missing out on last year’s inaugural edition following a humiliating 0-4 loss to Sudan at the preliminary stage. After the first leg in Asmara on the weekend of March 12-14, Eritrea will travel to Kigali towards the end of March (26th -28th) for the return leg. The winner will then play either Tanzania or the winner between Somalia and Djibouti. The tournament will run from January 21 to February 10. With the central zone allotted two qualifying spots; Rwanda will have to wrestle Burundi, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti, Somalia, Tanzania and Eritrea for one of the slots. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has doubled the number of participating teams to 16. Qualifiers will be played from six zones. In a related development, the local football governing body (Ferwafa)’s CEO Jules Kalisa leaves for Cairo this afternoon to attend the CAF disciplinary committee meeting which will review the 2010 Nations’ Cup finals held in Luanda, Angola. Ends

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Amavubi start CHAN preps