This archive report was first published on 7 October 2019.
On October 7, 2019, the U20 Cecafa Challenge Cup came to a close in Uganda, with Tanzania emerging victorious over Kenya's Emerging Stars in the final match.
The tournament, which took place over two weeks in the towns of Jinja and Gulu, attracted 11 national teams and showcased the talents of young footballers from across the region.
Cecafa secretary general Nicholas Musonye expressed his excitement about the future of football in the region, citing the promising talents on display at the tournament.
"I am excited about future generations of football in our region. The talents on show here were so promising," Musonye said.
Kenya's coach Stanley Okumbi echoed Musonye's sentiments, urging the Football Kenya Federation to maintain the crop of players who impressed during the tournament.
"We have had a good tournament and were unlucky to lose in the final. When we get back home, I will try to convince the federation to plan for the boys so we can consider graduating them to become our U23 team," Okumbi said.
Kenya's Brian Bwire was voted the best goalkeeper at the tournament, while Sydney Lokale and Austin Odhiambo also impressed alongside Tanzanian forward Kelvin John, who was voted top scorer and Most Valuable Player.
Despite the disappearance of five Eritrean players from the team camp in Jinja, Musonye expressed satisfaction that the competition went on smoothly, citing the safety of the region and the success of previous tournaments in war-torn areas.
