Uganda Cranes celebrate their win during their Cecafa challenge cup final against Rwanda at the Nyayo National Stadium recently. Photo/MOHAMMED AMIN
Uganda has vowed to retain the East and Central Africa Senior Challenge Cup, to be staged in Tanzania this month.
But the Uganda Cranes are bracing for battle with Kenya, whom they beat in the finals of the competition two years ago in Kampala.
Cranes coach Bob Williamson says winning the regional title will give the team confidence as it chases a ticket to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
“Winning the competition means a lot to the squad as it will boost their morale,” said Williamson. Uganda have won the past two editions of the regional competition and look to be the team to beat when the 2010 tournament kicks off in Tanzania.
“Being the defending champions puts pressure on us, but we were also the defending champions last year and we won,” says Williamson.
Cote d’Ivoire has been invited as one of the guest teams, after Cameroon failed to confirm participation. Others are Malawi and Zambia.
However, the presence of “The Elephants” does not scare Williamson. “Of course having Cote d’Ivoire will heighten the profile of the competition, but while they are a strong side, we are ready for any opponent,” he said.
Cecafa secretary Nicholas Musonye said: “Cote d’Ivoire were the first guest side to confirm their participation. Zambia are our regular guests and should be available after the Cosafa Cup in Angola next month.”
Musonye is happy with the preparations Tanzania has put in place to host the event. “The Senior Challenge is not a small tournament. We have inspected hotels and training venues and Tanzania is ready for the competition,” said Musonye.
In Nairobi, Stars’ coach Jacob Mulee believes the Senior Challenge will be a great opportunity for the team to appease their fans by winning the competition.
“We need to start preparations early and work towards winning the regional title. It’s not going to be easy but it’s a possibility,” said Mulee who won the competition as coach in 2004.
“It’s been a long time since Kenyans had something to celebrate about their football. An opportunity has presented itself and we need to go out there and win.”
The Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup is the region’s flagship event and will be contested over two weeks from November 27.
The competition will feature Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Zanzibar, defending champions Uganda and hosts Tanzania.
This year, the competition provides a significant warm up for teams that will be playing in the 2011 Africa Nations Championship, which kicks off in Khartoum, Sudan, in January.
