CECAFA U15 2019
August 16th-September 1st
Asmara, Eritrea
For years, many football experts have advocated for grass-root football as the way to go if Uganda is to reach the next level in the game.
The Copa Coca Cola has in the past been the country’s major pride in terms of nurturing talent.
However, year has seen the introduction of ODILO, a primary schools championship that will help feed the Copa tournament.
At the National team level, the Uganda Cubs (U17) and Hippos (U20) have taken shape, competing in several region championships and as it stands, that trend will continue.
With all that in place, the country has decided to go down further the age brackets and ensure the inception of an U15 team.
With the set-up currently understood to be already underway, it was announced that the team (U15) will ne participating in the inaugural CECAFA tournament.
The tournament which will be hosted in Eritrea from August 16th to September 1st, has attracted a total of 11 nations expected to take part and Uganda has not been left out.
At the group stage draws that were announced on Tuesday, Uganda has been placed in Group B of the competition.
They are set to tussle it out with Rwanda, Ethiopia and South Sudan for a place in the knockout stages.
The other groups A and B will see one having four teams and the other three.
Group A features Eritrea, Kenya, Burundi and Somalia while C consists of Tanzania, Sudan and Djibouti.
It was confirmed that the players who will represent Uganda will be picked mainly from the on-going ODILO tournament that is taking place at the FUFA Technical Center in Njeru.
However, the technical team, including the team’s head coach, is all yet to be communicated.
The championship launched by CECAFA on May 28, 2019 will be sponsored by FIFA Forward programme initiative.
The tournament is to help the region prepare for the Under 17 AFCON qualifiers that start early next year.
Groups
Group A – Eritrea, Kenya, Burundi, Somalia
Group B – Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, South Sudan
Group C – Tanzania, Sudan, Djibouti
Uganda’s Fixtures
August 17th – Uganda vs Ethiopia
August 20th – South Sudan Vs Uganda
August 25th – Uganda Vs Rwanda
