By Fred Mulenge
DAR ES SALAAM, June 12. – Tanzania Premier League side, Azam FC have announced that they will not take part in the CECAFA Kagame Cup 2024.
On Monday night CECAFA announced that the tournament to attract 16 teams including Azam FC had been rescheduled to take place July 6-22 in Tanzania and Zanzibar.
But Azam FC who booked a place in the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League after finishing second in the Tanzania Premier League were quick to announce that they have other plans for the pre-season.
” We shall not be playing in the CECAFA Kagame Cup because we have other plans for the pre-season, ” said the club’s Head of Information and Communication, Thabit Zakaria.
Although Azam FC have announced that they will not take part, the other Tanzanian teams lined up include giants Young Africans SC, Simba SC and Coastal Union FC.
John Auka Gecho, the CECAFA Executive Director says this tournament will help the teams in the Zone prepare better ahead of the CAF Competitions starting in August. He also announced that the three guest sides will include TP Mazembe, Nyasa Red Bullets from Malai and Red Arrows form Zambia.
“This competition will aid our teams in their pre-season preparations for the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup, both starting in August. The three guest teams will also give our teams a good test, ” added Gecheo.
Uganda’s Express FC are the defending champions of the regional tournament after they defeated Nyasa Big Bullets in the final in 2021 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
The 16 teams that had been lined up for the CECAFA Kagame Cup 2024 include ; TP Mazembe (DR Congo), Nyasa Big Bullets (Malawi), Red Arrows FC (Zambia), Vital ‘O (Burundi), APR FC (Rwanda), El Merreikh, Al Hilal, Hai El Wadi (Sudan), Young Africans SC, Simba SC, Azam FC, Coastal Union FC (Tanzania), Gor Mahia FC (Kenya), SC Villa (Uganda), JKU SC (Zanzibar), and El Merreikh FC-Bentiu (South Sudan).
