Junior wasps line up Esperance, Etoile du Sahel friendlies

December 27Bizertin CA v Amavubi December 29Club Africain v Amavubi (U-20) The national U-20 side is expected to wrap up its build up games in Tunisia with tough tests against two top Tunisian sides. Although no dates have been fixed for the games, Esperance and Etoile du Sahel have been confirmed as the sides to play the Junior Wasps. By press time, the team was set to face second division side ES Beni-Khalled before further clashes against Club Bizertin (Saturday) and 1991 African Club Champions ‘Club Africain’ on Monday. Esperance Tunis extended its lead at the top of the Tunisian first division football championship over the weekend after a 1-0 victory over second- placed Etoile Sahel. Esperance, has now opened a six-point gap at the top midway through the season thanks in part to their Nigerian striker Michael Enramo, the league’s leading scorer with 12 goals. In 2004, the Grinners as they are known achieved what most clubs dream of by clinching their seventh successive league title. Before the Tunis side’s storming run, no team had previously won more than three consecutive league championships. With a total of 20 league titles, ‘the blood and golds’, as they are nicknamed, have smashed every record at home. Some star players who have featured for the side include Zambian legend Kenneth Malitoli, Khaled Badra, Riadhi Jaidi and Brazilian-born defender Jose Clayton. In a related development, Aboubakar Nshimiyimana (Mukura), JMV Rukundo (APR) and Jean Claude Iranzi (APR) missed yesterday’s game through injury. The trio is part of the 26-man team that will be eventually be trimmed down to 18 ahead of the Africa Youth Championships which kicks off next month. Obradovic Tomislav’s team kicked off their one-month training camp with a 1-0 win over Tunisia Premier league club La Marsa last week. Meanwhile, Haruna Niyonzima, Jean Baptista Mugiraneza, Elias Uzamukunda and Jean Luc Ndayishimiye are the only players who featured in last year’s U-23 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 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 to reach the semi-finals to be assured of a place at the World Youth Championships finals to be hosted by Egypt. Ferwafa Chief Executive Officer Jules Kalisa told Times Sport that Rwanda can qualify for the world youth championship. “Rwanda needs to win Mali and at least get a draw against Cameroon and Ghana respectively to reach the semi-finals,” he said. Tomislav and his young guns have their hands full if they are to advance in the two week long tournament. The four semi-finalists from the tournament will automatically qualify for the 2009 Under-20 World Cup to be played in Egypt.If hosts Egypt reach the last four in Rwanda then the 5th placed team will automatically qualify for the Under-20 World Cup. Ends

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Junior wasps line up Esperance, Etoile du Sahel friendlies