Cecafa insists Uganda will host Senior Challenge

Is this the last we are hearing of the controversy concerning which country will host this year’s Council for East and Central Africa Football Association (Cecafa) Senior Challenge Cup?

On Tuesday, the regional football body issued a statement from Seychelles saying the tournament will be held in Uganda.

This follows a strong petition from Football Kenya Federation (FKF) to Cecafa over the hosting rights.

FKF lobbied member associations, forcing a discussion of the tournament when Cecafa convened a special meeting in Mahe, Seychelles, on Sunday ahead of the Caf Congress.

Cecafa president Leodgera Tenga said that the meeting mandated him to hold an executive committee meeting to settle the discussion about the hosts once and for all.

Uganda to continue preparations

Tenga, however, said that the meeting agreed that Uganda will continue with their preparations to host the tournament.

FKF felt aggrieved that despite being given the rights to host the tournament during last year’s Cecafa congress, the tournament had been moved to Uganda.

Cecafa secretary general Nicholas Musonye early in August announced that the tournament would be hosted in Uganda, saying this was in line with the preference of title sponsors Tusker.

But FKF cried foul over the turn of events and wrote to East Africa Breweries Limited (EABL), owners of the Tusker brand, seeking clarification on the matter.

EABL, through its group marketing manager Mburu Karanja, replied on August 30 saying: “East African Breweries Limited, as a sponsor of the Cup, does not dictate the venue of the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup and all matters related to the administration and logistics of the said Cup should be referred to Cecafa.”

Earlier on August 28 in Kampala, Tusker had announced a sponsorship package of Sh38.25m (US$450,000) for the tournament.

Host body, Federation of Uganda Football, have already formed a local organising committee to start preparations.

With just over two months before the scheduled start of the Senior Challenge Cup on November 24, time appears to have run out for FKF to regain the hosting rights for the event.

FKF media officer, John Kariuki, said the federation had long formed a committee to monitor and recommend suitable venues and accommodation for the tournament.