Israel Saria
Despite retaining the Mainland title, the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa) has maintained that Yanga will not compete in its championships.
Cecafa imposed a three-year ban on Yanga for staging a no-show in their Kagame Cup third place playoff against their bitter archrivals Simba when the championship was staged at Dar es Salaam`s Main National Stadium last year.
The regional soccer body also fined the Dar es Salaam-based side 30,000 dollars (more than 30m/-).
Cecafa Information Officer Finny Muyeshi said yesterday that the ban would stay unless Yanga win their appeal which they were yet to submit.
“The ban still holds, unless they win the appeal. Yanga were supposed to appeal against the ban. In fact, I do not know why they have not submitted it,“ Muyeshi said through a telephone call from Nairobi, Kenya.
Meanwhile, Cecafa said that DRC Congo champions Tout Pussat (TP) Mazembe have shown interest in taking part in this year’s Cecafa Club Championship to be staged in Uganda in June/July.
Muyeshi said that Cecafa secretary General Nicholas Musonye confirmed this in Nairobi recently, saying the Congolese were inspired by the covetous status the regional tournament has achieved over years.
Cecafa tournaments have in recent years been graced by guest teams with Zambia having participated in the 2006 and 2008 Challenge Cup in Addis Ababa and Kampala, respectively. The Addis Ababa tournament was also graced by Malawi.
Sudan are keen on fielding two of their giant teams El Merreikh and El Hilal in the tournament while Ethiopia who have just been released from a Fifa ban have confirmed they will be represented by perennial contestants St George.
According to Muyeshi, Cecafa is likely to give El Hilal a chance considering that the participation of Eritrean and Djibouti teams is in doubt.
El Merreikh and El Hilal are riding high in continental tournaments.
Kenya will be represented in Uganda by defending champions Tusker and the country`s champions Mathare United while the hosts will have Kampala City Council and Sports Club Villa.
Other expected teams are Simba Sports Club from Tanzania mainland, Miembeni from Zanzibar, Inter Club from Burundi, Atraco from Rwanda, and Somalia representatives.
- SOURCE: Sunday Observer
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