Gor handed Rayon Sport as CECAFA Kagame Cup recommence

Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions Gor Mahia have been drawn in Group ‘B’ alongside Rwanda’s Rayon Sport, in this year’s CECAFA Club Championship that kicks off on June 28 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The two sides are in the same group in the CAF Confederations Cup, with Gor bragging of earning a 1-1 draw against the Rwandan Champions in their first leg clash in Kigali, Rwanda.

Lydia Ludic of Burundi and Djibouti’s Port complete the pool, for the competition that resumes for the first time since the last edition in 2015.

Speaking after realising the pairings, CECAFA Secretary General Nicholas Musonye assured the tournament nothing will stop the tournament this year, amid fears the regional club championship could fail especially with the dates colliding with the FIFA World Cup.

“The major obstacle has been finances, but this time round we are at least ready with the basic minimums. We can navigate ourselves through the other issues. We are not going back this time as we endeavour to get back to the days when we were assured of the competition every year,” said Musonye.

He further noted all is not lost with the CECAFA Women’s Championship, that was set for Rwanda in May only to be cancelled due to lack of funds.

“We are still planning about it, probably we can have it towards the end of July, but we cannot announce anything official about it. We however want sponsors to come on board and support us in these tournaments,” underscored Musonye.

Holders Azam of Tanzania are in Group ‘A,’ which has Zanzibar’s Jeshi la Kujenga Uchumi, Kator of South Sudan and Uganda’s newly crowned champions Vipers.

Somalia’s Dakadaha, Ethiopia’s St. Georges, hosts Yanga and Simba form Group C, for the fiesta whose finals will be played on  July 28 at the National Stadium Dar es Salaam.

Azam beat Gor 2-0 in the 2015 final, courtesy of veteran Tanzania striker John Bocco (now in Simba) and Ivorian Kipre Tchetche to lift their maiden CECAFA trophy.