Yanga, Simba SC uncertain to feature in Kagame Cup

Dar es Salaam. The participation of football giants in the country, Young Africans (Yanga) and Simba SC, in the Council for East and Central African Football Club championship (Cecafa Kagame Cup) is hanging in the balance following their tight schedules.

The Cecafa Kagame Cup is scheduled to take place from July 6 to 22 in both Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar.

According to the information received by The Citizen, Yanga are expecting to travel to South Africa and Russia for their pre-season games.

Apart from that, the Jangwani Street giants also have received an invitation to feature in a special tournament in Kenya as all of this is planned to take place within the Kagame Cup schedule.

According to an impeccable source within Yanga, it is difficult for the team to feature in the competition and that’s why they are yet to confirm.

“We are yet to confirm our participation in the Kagame Cup as per the invitations we have abroad. We have been invited to travel to Russia and play against CSKA Moscow in the international friendly and also have been invited to play friendlies in South Africa against Kaizer Chiefs and play in Kenya’s special tournament. So, we are still undecided about the Kagame Cup,” said the source.

Simba SC information officer Ahmed Ally also said they are halfway about competing in the Kagame Cup following the plans they have.

“I cannot say we will feature or not because we are yet to decide on our pre-season camp. We have an option to set it up either in Dar es Salaam or abroad, we will reveal later on the matter,” said Ally.

Cecafa’s Head of Public Relations and Communication, Andrew Oryada, admitted that the two clubs may miss the tournament.

“We will give details on Wednesday (today),” said Oryada.

 Already Azam FC have announced not to feature in the competition because of the title schedule they have.

The tournament will feature one of the giants on the continent, TP Mazembe of DR Congo. Also, on the list are top Sudanese teams Al Hilal and El Merreikh, who regularly compete in the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup, as well as Red Arrows of Zambia.

Others include Vital’O (Burundi), APR (Rwanda), Hai El Wadi (Sudan), Gor Mahia (Kenya), SC Villa (Uganda), JKU SC (Zanzibar), El Merreikh FC-Bentiu (South Sudan), and Nyasa Big Bullets of Malawi.

Originally, the tournament was scheduled to take place from July 20 to August 4, this year, in Tanzania, but due to the African football governing body (CAF)’s calendar, Cecafa decided to reschedule it.

"This tournament will help our teams in this region to prepare well for the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup seasons, which will start in August.

“Having top teams from DR Congo, Malawi, and Zambia will also add excitement to our tournament and provide a real challenge for our teams," said Cecafa Executive Director John Auko Gecheo.

As a result, the 2024 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup, which involves national teams, has been cancelled to give players more time to prepare with their clubs for the Cecafa Kagame Cup.

The Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup was originally scheduled to open the Cecafa calendar from June 29 to July 14, this year,

The Cecafa Club Cup has been known as the Kagame Interclub Cup since 2002, when Rwandan President Paul Kagame began sponsoring the competition that began in 1967.