Cecafa has one foot in the grave

Such has been the under whelming appeal of the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup in recent years that the latest installment will be half way gone by the time you read this, and you will be none the wiser. It is a proper dead rubber affair being played on the kind of pitches that justify CAF’s decision to deny Kenya the hosting rights of Chan.
With hindsight we can say this one was not meant to happen. No one wanted it. Well, except Kenya who almost bit off Cecafa’s hand when it extended the hosting opportunity. For Kenya this was a convenient opportunity to sanitize a badly soiled image. And they have taken to the tournament with the enthusiasm expected of someone who feels they have been given a second chance. It helps that they won their opening match and the general feeling now is that it was the first step on their march to tournament success.
But then not all Kenyans read the script. The stands are largely empty. Not even school kids who are on holiday and would not be required to pay are watching the games. And Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and its sporadic live Tv coverage is not endearing itself to those who opt to watch from the comfort of their living rooms.
And then it gets odd. Why would anyone want to pick host cities out of regions in which the embers of electoral conflict are still smouldering? That decision has already cost the tournament one of its clout enhancing guest appearances, although I thought it was a bit rich that Zimbabwe, fresh off a military coup should cite insecurity as a reason to skip.
And as if venues weren’t limiting enough, someone in their infinite wisdom decides the games should be played in the early afternoon and on weekdays when most fans would be at work. This one makes it seem like the organisers are so ashamed of the tournament they need to hide it away from the fans.
All this bangling is suggestive of a lack of bother. There is clearly very little effort to make what was once the regions flagship show piece work. The romance of the yesteryears during which teams like Zambia, Zimbabwe Malawi charmed us all, have given way to tournaments that must be hawked around to disinterested members who could not be bothered to put up a good show. In the circumstances, and with trend certain to continue, I don’t see how subsequent tournaments can produce the next Bobby Ogola. I do not see how any team will light up the current versions like Kenya did in 1982 or Uganda in 1989.
I guess what I am trying to say here is that a tournaments character is defined as much by its football as by how many of us fans value that as entertainment. So, we can speculate at the reasons why Cecafa is dying, but the truth is that if it has one leg in the grave, dwindling fan numbers will eventually push it over the edge.