This archive report was first published on 4 October 2019.
On the cusp of the Under-20 Challenge Cup's climax, Cecafa secretary general Nicholas Musonye expressed his excitement about the future of football in the region. The tournament, which has been taking place in Jinja and Gulu, Uganda, has attracted eleven teams from the region and will conclude with a highly anticipated match between Kenya and Tanzania on Saturday.
Speaking about the talents on display, Musonye said, "I am excited about future generations of football in our region. The talents on show here are so promising."
He attributed the region's relative underperformance in comparison to North and West Africa to a lack of nurturing and showcasing of young talents from an early age. Cecafa has taken steps to address this by organizing U-15 and U-20 tournaments this year, as well as two U-17 tournaments and a women's tournament last year.
Notably, the tournament has received impressive attendance numbers at the refurbished Peace stadium in Gulu town, a venue previously marred by insecurity concerns. Musonye hailed the Gulu residents for their support, stating, "Gulu is now safe. We have brought football here and everything has gone on smoothly. We also did the same in Kordofan, in Sudan. My final dream is to take Cecafa to Somalia."
Cecafa has also announced plans to organize a Senior Challenge Cup involving senior national teams in Uganda in December.
