Serengeti Boys start preparations for Afcon qualifiers
Serengeti Boys players train at the Black Rhinos Stadium in Arusha ahead of the Council of East and Central Africa Football Association Championship scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. PHOTO| COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Two finalists from this championship will qualify for the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals scheduled to take place in Algeria next year
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s national U-17 football team (Serengeti Boys) will compete in the Council of East and Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA) Championship scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from September 30 to October 15.
The tournament also serves as a qualifier for the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) scheduled to take place in Algeria next year from April 8 to 30 featuring 12 countries.
Speaking with The Citizen yesterday, Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) Information Officer Clifford Ndimbo said already 28 players have started training in Arusha ahead of the competition.
He said the team, who are under head coach Kim Poulsen and assistant Maalim Saleh, will be in Arusha for 12 days before departing for Addis Ababa.
“The number of players travelling to Addid Ababa will be named after camp at Karatu’s Black Rhino Academy in Arusha,” said Ndimbo.
The competition is expected to feature 10 national teams of U-17 from the CECAFA Zone. The countries are Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Djibouti and the hosts, Ethiopia.
The tournament’s draws will be made today. All the teams are expected to arrive in Ethiopia on September 26 ahead of the MRI tests which will be supervised by CAF.
Two finalists from this championship will qualify for the AFCON U17 tournament in Algeria next year.
Uganda are the reigning champions of the CECAFA U-17 Championship, having defeated Tanzania in the finals played in 2020 in Rwanda.
The 2023 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations will be the 15th edition (20th edition if tournaments without hosts are included).
The biennial international youth football tournament is organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for players aged 17 and below. In May 2021, it was decided that the tournament would be hosted by Algeria.
This is the second edition of the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations to have expanded to twelve teams instead of eight.
The top four teams of the tournament will qualify for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru as the CAF representatives.
Cameroon are the defending champions, having won the 2019 edition as the 2021 edition was cancelled.
