36 DAYS TO GO

Rwanda’s U-20 national team departs for Tunisia this afternoon for a one-month training camp ahead of the next year’s Africa Youth Championships set for January 18-Fevruary 1 in Kigali.

The 32-man delegation that comprises 26 players and six officials departs aboard Ethiopian Airways and is expected to arrive in Tunis Monday evening after a stop-over in Dubai.

While in Tunis, Obradovic Tomislav’s team is scheduled to play against four yet to be named top Tunisian league clubs before taking on Egypt in a full friendly cracker.

In the team, Haruna Niyonzima, Jean Baptista Mugiraneza, Elias Uzamukunda and Jean Luc Ndayishimiye are the only players who featured in last year’s U-23 team which featured in the qualifiers for the Beijing Olympic Games.

Hegman Ngoma (APR), Arafat Serugendo (APR), Aimable Rucogoza (Rayon Sport) and Bonfils Twahirwa (AS Kigali) are some of the new faces on the team.

Rwanda faces Mali, Cameroon and Ghana in Group A while Group B is made up of Nigeria, Ivory Coast, South Africa and Egypt.

As hosts, Rwanda were seeded for the draw, will open the competition against Mali at Amahoro stadium on January 18, 2009 before another cracker sees Ghana taking on arch rivals Cameroon.

Rwanda needs only to reach the semi-finals of next year’s African Youth Championships to be assured of a place at the World Youth Championships finals to be hosted by Egypt.

Ends