Council of East and central Africa Football Association (Cecafa) Secretary General Nicholas Musonye has insisted the forthcoming Cecafa/Kagame Cup will go on as planned in Rwanda with or without the Tanzania powerhouse Yanga and Simba.
Musonye said the two clubs will be replaced by other teams in the region.He hinted that several clubs from Uganda,Kenya,Rwanda,Zambia and the DRC Congo will step in to replace the two Tanzania clubs.Zesco United of Zambia,AS Vita and Motema Pembe from DRC Congo are tipped to participate in the annual event as guest teams.
Speaking on phone,a bitter Musonye said “They can go to hell,the tournament will go on whether the two Tanzania clubs will participate or not.They cannot hold us at ransom”
This year’s Cecafa/Kagame tournament will be held in the two cities of Rwanda namely Kigali and Rubavu.
Yanga FC have become the second team from Tanzania to snub the competition after their arch rivals Simba Sports club announced their withdrawal citing involvement in pre-season training either in USA or Portugal to prepare for the CAF Champions League and Mainland Premier League season.
Yanga communication officer Dismas Ten said most of their players have ended their contracts while the new targeted players are yet to finalise the transfer deal with their respective clubs.
Yanga’s letter to Cecafa said the team’s head coach and some players will be away in Egypt for the AFCON finals, hence they will have little time to prepare for the looming Kagame cup contest.
The Yanga spokesman went to say their players have been allowed to go for holidays after the end of the season while others had injuries and it was only fair to allow them to recover during the holidays.
Nevertheless, the Yanga official thanked Cecafa for inviting them. ‘We respect the tournament and we assure our commitment and desire to continue featuring during other incoming Cecafa tournaments” he said.
Azam-the defending Champions have already confirmed their participation after clinching the Azam Sports Federation Cup (ASFC) title.
