The CECAFA General Secretary Nicholas Musonye addressing the media mid this year in Tanzania
The Council for East and Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA) has adjourned the regional Under-20 Championships to January 14-27, 2019.
The CECAFA General Secretary Nicholas Musonye confirmed the development today in an interview with KT Press.
“Uganda is a confirmed host for the Cecafa U-20 tournament but due to a hectic schedule, we have decided to shift this tournament to January 2019.”
It is regrettable that we cannot have the competition, we tried to get alternatives, but the timing was also inconvenient because of Caf Champions League and Confederation Cup whose preliminary matches will be played late November and early December,” said Musonye.
“Most our scheduled regional tournaments were not held as planned because of lack of hosts and time inconveniences due to the Caf Champions League and Confederation Cup whose preliminary and first round matches were set in late November and early December,”
“Having seen the CAF Competition calendar underway, we will adjust our competitions to be played next year,” added Musonye.
Though the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) is yet to come out categorically and address the public on the matter, it’s scheduled that the Cecafa U-20 Tournament will be held in both Kampala and Gulu districts.
Star Times Stadium and the Mandela National Stadium are the expected playing fields to be used in the tournament.
Meanwhile, the regional body was thrown into panic after the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) announced that financial constraints would not allow them to host the championship after they were handed hosting rights last year.
CECAFA comprises ten CAF member associations namely, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, Sudan, South Sudan as well as the horn of Africa countries of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Djibouti. In most cases, Zanzibar take part in the competition as an independent member.
Cecafa Senior Challenge – the continent’s oldest football competition – has been irregular since its inception in 1926, with the tournament having also not been held in 1986, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2014 and 2016.
