Cecafa shaping up for Uganda-Kenya showdown
Cranes midfielder Allan Okello (L ) takes on Somalian defenders during the Cecafa match played on Monday at StarTimes Stadium. Photo by
Eddie Chicco
What you need to know:
- Uganda and Kenya are the most successful nations at the Cecafa with 21 titles between them. Uganda’s haul of 14 titles is still greater than that of Kenya who have seven.
The semifinal stage of the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa) Senior Challenge Cup does not begin until next week.
But with hosts Uganda and rivals Kenya having become the first two nations to seal semifinal berths, there is anticipation and an air of inevitability about the two nations meeting in the final game of Africa’s oldest tournament.
The Uganda Cranes are the most successful side in the competition and will be targeting 15 title having also won the on the last three occasions when they hosted the tournament.
Kenya on the other hand are the reigning champions with their win in 2017 the seventh time they lifted the trophy.
Their assistant head coach Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno has already stated they are targeting a win in their final group game against Zanzibar this evening in order to avoid the host nation.
“We came here to win the title but found ourselves in the toughest group. We will try and beat Zanzibar so as to finish top of the group and avoid Uganda, for now,” said Zico.
“We have selected the best crop of players from our league and are looking to find out which ones can help their senior teammates at the (Afcon) qualification matches.
Most of the players have impressed so far,” Otieno in Kampala.
“They want to end what has been a busy year on a high. We came with the trophy and want to go back home with it.
These players want to do it, and so far so good,” Zico said.
He will again be in charge of the team this evening when Kenya wrap up their group games against Sudan following the two-game suspension of head coach Francis Kimanzi.
Kimanzi was accused of locking his players in the StarTimes Stadium dressing rooms to stop them from going to the pitch after Tanzania allegedly failed to produce passports of some of their players before the teams met in their first game.
In midweek, Cranes coach Johnathan McKinstry side stepped questions from the Kenyan press about the possibility of meeting the Kenyans before the final.
“Our focus for now is Djibouti.
But of course we know that if we want to win the Cecafa title then we will have to beat the best sides,” he stated.
The Cranes have won all three of their games thus far and wrap the group stages with a game against Djibouti tomorrow.
Cecafa final group games
Today at Lugogo
Kenya vs Zanzibar
Sudan vs Tanzania
Tomorrow
Somalia vs Eritrea
Uganda vs Djibouti
