Magera relishing CECAFA U-15 challenge

Coach Jackson Magera has urged his charges to improve on their efficiency in the final third as they head for the CECAFA U-15 Challenge Cup that gets underway Friday in Eritrea.

Magera made the remarks shortly after the national side beat Rays of Graces Primary School 5-0 in a friendly match at the FUFA Technical Centre, Njeru on Tuesday.

This was an incredible performance from the lads who had earlier defeated Jinja SS 3-0 in the first build-up on Monday.

"The two games have been a good test and we are well prepared for the challenge ahead. However, we need to work hard on our attack and capitalise on scoring opportunities because the defence is fine," said Magera.

The team that has been under residential training at Njeru since last Thursday departs for Asmara on Thursday.

Two foreign-based players Gabriel Twaib Mawanda (NASA Top Hart-USA) and Basil Tuma Tenywa (Eton College, Windsor, United Kingdom) are some of those players that impressed coach Magera during training and could be part of the 20 man squad in the championship that starts tomorrow and runs till September 1.

Uganda who is placed in Group B alongside Ethiopia, Rwanda and South Sudan are among the favourites.

They play Ethiopia in their opening game on Saturday. Group A has Eritrea, Kenya, Burundi and Somalia while C consists of Tanzania, Sudan and Djibouti.

The tournament sponsored by the "FIFA Forward Programme" initiative, is the first under-15 event to be staged in Africa.

The tournament is designed to help the CECAFA region to prepare for the Under-17 AFCON qualifiers due early next year.