Azam FC target Rayon SC scalp
Azam FC players celebrate a goal during a past match. They launch their 2014 Cecafa Kagame Cup campaign against Rayon Sports in Kigali, Rwanda today. PHOTO| FILE
What you need to know:
Mainland champions Azam FC will be seeking to launch their regional tournament campaign with a bang when they go head-to-head with hosts Rayon Sports in a curtain-raiser at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.
Dar es Salaam. Six teams are in action at different venues today as this year’s Cecafa Kagame Cup tournament roars into in Rwanda.
Mainland champions Azam FC will be seeking to launch their regional tournament campaign with a bang when they go head-to-head with hosts Rayon Sports in a curtain-raiser at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.
Also in today’s fixture, Zanzibar giants KMKM confront South Sudan’s Atlabara FC while Kenya’s Gor Mahia take on Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA).
The match between Azam and Rayon Sports kicks off at 5pm (Tanzanian time).
Azam information officer Jaffer Idd told this paper by phone from Kigali yesterday that nothing will stop the ice-cream makers from making a flying start in the tournament.
Azam will be making their second appearance in the tournament, which features top teams from the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa)-member countries. In 2012, they finished runners up after going down 2-0 to Young Africans at the National Stadium.
Yanga have been replaced by Azam in this year’s tournament after violating the rules and regulations governing the championship. They wanted to a field their Under-20 side in the event.
Meanwhile, APR FC skipper Ismail ‘Kodo’ Nshutiyamagara has warned rival teams in this year’s Cecafa Kagame Cup that the army side will be gunning for the title.
APR, winners of the annual regional club championship on three occasions -- in 2004, 2007 and 2010 – are in Group B, alongside KCCA (Uganda), Atletico (Burundi) Gor Mahia (Kenya) and Telecom (Djibouti).
The Rwanda central defender says the national champions are ready to win this year’s Kagame Cup tournament, which gets underway tomorrow at the Amahoro stadium. APR begin their campaign on Saturday, against Atletico.
“We know what this competition means to us, it’s a big tournament, so we will give our best to win it, and I believe we will be ready for the challenge,” he told Times Sport on Wednesday.
The former Atraco and Kiyovu defender roared, “We don’t fear anyone.”
Kodo hopes to help APR add the Kagame Cup title to the league and Peace Cup double, which they have already won this season. “We are going to play against champions of different countries,” he said.
which is very difficult but we are ready for the tournament and we should not have any excuse.”
The APR skipper cited the likes of Tanzanian league champions Azam, title-holders Vital’O of Burundi, Kenyan champions Gor Mahia as well as local archrivals Rayon Sports and Police as the teams that could give them a run for their money.
