Cecafa's five-year strategy aims at women, youth dev't

Jan 05, 2016

It is understood Cecafa will develop a master plan to ensure that youth and women football are fully integrated in all its activities.



The secretary general of the Council of East and Central Africa Football Association (Cecafa) has said that the five- year strategic plan announced at Cecafa's executive committee meeting on Monday will put emphasis on youth/women football and technical development.

In a missive, Nicholas Musonye also said the regional body will stage four competitions this year and overhaul its statutes to ensure that there is discipline at all levels within the 12-member association.

The Cecafa executive committee meeting also nominated Somali's Abdigani Arab Said as the vice chairman and Leodegar Tenga - the immediate Cecafa chairman - as an honorary chairman.

The new executive committee was inaugurated in Khartoum in a ceremony witnessed by Sudanese minister for sports and youth.

Several top Government officials and the chairman of Saudi Arabia FA Ahmed Alharbi also attended.

It is understood Cecafa will develop a master plan to ensure that youth and women football are fully integrated in all its activities starting this year.

The association will also organize four technical courses this year.

During the meeting, it was revealed that Uganda will stage the Under-17 and women Championship this year, while Burundi will stage the Under-20 tournament.

The Kagame Club Cup will be held in Zanzibar and the Senior Challenge Cup in Sudan.

The new committee headed by Dr. Mutasim Gafar of Sudan will also sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Saudi Arabian FA for an exchange programme especially on matters involving youth football.

On the overhaul of statutes, the Council noted that the current statutes and regulations had served Cecafa well, but that with the changing environment, the old statutes have to be overhauled to bring in dynamism and deal with indiscipline appropriately.

Dr. Mutasim pledged to revamp Cecafa and ensure that it competes with the rest of the zones in Africa on equal footing.

Meanwhile, Musonye, who spent the new year in the Sudan, visited North Gordofan State on Saturday and Sunday as a guest of the State Governor and launched the Sudan Youth Competition in El Obeid City - 600 miles north of Khartoum.

Governor Ahmed Haruna pledged to host a Cecafa competition at the newly renovated Stadium.

He said Cecafa was the backbone of football in the region, having hosted the Cecafa Kagame Cup when he was the Governor of the neighboring South Gordofan State in the volatile Kagugli City in 2013. Musonye commented the Government and the people of the Sudan for their commitment and support to CECAFA over the years.

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