Hippos tune for CECAFA tourney
Aug 10, 2005
THE kick-off to the Under-20 CECAFA championships has been delayed by three days on request of the sponsor and Zanzibar President Sheikh Amani Karume.
By Reuben Olita, F. Kaweesi
and Sabiiti Muwanga
Hippos (U-20) v Villa
THE kick-off to the Under-20 CECAFA championships has been delayed by three days on request of the sponsor and Zanzibar President Sheikh Amani Karume.
Making the disclosure Wednesday, regional soccer body CECAFA secretary Nicholas Musonye told journalists, the event will now start next Tuesday instead of Saturday in Zanzibar with the final date remaining unchanged- August 28.
Musonye said all the eleven member countries will parade their teams for the event whose top three finishers will get $8000, $5000 and $3000 respectively courtesy of Karume who has pumped in $300,000 towards staging of the championships.
Uganda, who are expected in the Indian Ocean island on Friday will remain in group ‘C’ that includes Sudan and Djibouti.
They play Djibouti on August 19 before completing their preliminaries against Sudan two days later.
Burundi, Musonye said would host next year's Under-17 championships while Rwanda will host this year's Senior Challenge Cup that will run from November 19-December 3.
SC Villa combative midfielder Oscar Agaba will, meanwhile, skipper the Uganda side in Zanzibar.
Team coach Moses Basena, who felt the 19-year-old midfielder had the required qualities for the position said: “He has been playing brilliantly for his club of late. But one thing I looked at was organisation. He is the best at that.â€
Perhaps more than any other member of the Hippos team, Agaba will look back since the start of the City Tyres Super League with enormous satisfaction.
Once regarded as only fit for the bench, he has matured beyond all recognition.
Agaba deserves credit for the way he has adapted to coach Sam Timbe’s attacking system as a hard-working defensive man.
Alongside Agaba are the likes of Haruna Mulindwa, Jeremiah Sebuyira, Steven Bengo, Ronald Muganga and Godfrey Ssentongo, who will hand Basena genuine and difficult decisions to make.
The Hippos will today gauge themselves against regional club champions Villa at Nakivubo.
The FUFA normalisation committee, in conjunction with Villa, has organised the match that kicks off at 4.30pm.
Their travel will however be afffected by some logistics that are yet to be put in place.
“There are some issues that have to be finalised and their travel arrangements will be finalised after today’s (yesterday) meeting,†Sam Tamale, the FUFA technical boss said, adding that the match against Villa would be a good trial for the youngsters who have been training but haven’t been tested.
Ends
and Sabiiti Muwanga
Hippos (U-20) v Villa
THE kick-off to the Under-20 CECAFA championships has been delayed by three days on request of the sponsor and Zanzibar President Sheikh Amani Karume.
Making the disclosure Wednesday, regional soccer body CECAFA secretary Nicholas Musonye told journalists, the event will now start next Tuesday instead of Saturday in Zanzibar with the final date remaining unchanged- August 28.
Musonye said all the eleven member countries will parade their teams for the event whose top three finishers will get $8000, $5000 and $3000 respectively courtesy of Karume who has pumped in $300,000 towards staging of the championships.
Uganda, who are expected in the Indian Ocean island on Friday will remain in group ‘C’ that includes Sudan and Djibouti.
They play Djibouti on August 19 before completing their preliminaries against Sudan two days later.
Burundi, Musonye said would host next year's Under-17 championships while Rwanda will host this year's Senior Challenge Cup that will run from November 19-December 3.
SC Villa combative midfielder Oscar Agaba will, meanwhile, skipper the Uganda side in Zanzibar.
Team coach Moses Basena, who felt the 19-year-old midfielder had the required qualities for the position said: “He has been playing brilliantly for his club of late. But one thing I looked at was organisation. He is the best at that.â€
Perhaps more than any other member of the Hippos team, Agaba will look back since the start of the City Tyres Super League with enormous satisfaction.
Once regarded as only fit for the bench, he has matured beyond all recognition.
Agaba deserves credit for the way he has adapted to coach Sam Timbe’s attacking system as a hard-working defensive man.
Alongside Agaba are the likes of Haruna Mulindwa, Jeremiah Sebuyira, Steven Bengo, Ronald Muganga and Godfrey Ssentongo, who will hand Basena genuine and difficult decisions to make.
The Hippos will today gauge themselves against regional club champions Villa at Nakivubo.
The FUFA normalisation committee, in conjunction with Villa, has organised the match that kicks off at 4.30pm.
Their travel will however be afffected by some logistics that are yet to be put in place.
“There are some issues that have to be finalised and their travel arrangements will be finalised after today’s (yesterday) meeting,†Sam Tamale, the FUFA technical boss said, adding that the match against Villa would be a good trial for the youngsters who have been training but haven’t been tested.
Ends