Stage set for Cecafa semis battle

What you need to know:

  • Action shifts to Kisumu after 16 group matches played so far in Machakos, Kakamega.
  • Tricky Burundi await Stars in Kisumu on Thursday, Uganda play Zanzibar on Friday.


So far, 16 games have been played in the group stage of Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup, paving the way for semi-finals starting Thursday.

As at Monday, a total of 30 goals had been scored with the top two teams from Group ‘A’ and ‘B’ booking places in the semi-finals.

In Group ‘A’, Kenya finished top on eight points, followed by Zanzibar while in Group ‘B’, Uganda led with five points, same as Burundi who, however, came second due to an inferior goal difference.

Kenya face Burundi in the first semi-final match on Thursday at Moi Stadium, Kisumu, while Uganda battle Zanzibar on Friday at the same venue.

The final match will be played on Sunday at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos County. It will be preceded by a third-place play-off at the same venue. The matches have been entertaining, with only three red cards dished out so far. Rwanda’s Soter Kayumba and Uganda Cranes duo of Isaac Muleme and Timothy Awany were the recipients of the red cards.

South Sudan, Rwanda and Ethiopia have been the whipping boys in the tournament, shipping in eight, six and five goals respectively in the group stage.

Group ‘B’ matches produced the most number of goals at 16. So far, Zanzibar has stood out as the surprise team in this year’s edition of the tournament, having beaten the odds to qualify for the semi-finals for the first time since 2012 when the Heroes finished third after beating Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro Stars on penalties.

“Unlike in the previous competitions, this time round our players started preparations two weeks earlier. The foreign-based players joined them three days before the team left for Kenya,” said Zanzibar midfielder Yahya Mudathir who plays for Singida United in the Tanzanian league.

“We want to go as far as the final and, God willing, win the cup,” he added.