Sunday Third-Place AS Maniema Vs Green Eagles 4:00 Final Azam Vs KCCA 17:00 There will be a lot at stake when Azam and KCCA tussle it out Sunday afternoon in this year’s Cecafa Kagame Cup final, at Kigali Stadium. Kick-off 5pm. Tanzania side Azam look to become the first club to win three consecutive Cecafa Kagame Cup titles in 35 years, while Ugandan champions KCCA eye their first silverware of the continent’s oldest club tournament since 1978. Azam won the competition’s title in 2015 before retaining it last year after a two-year hiatus, largely, this publication understands, due to lack of sponsors. AFC Leopards, of Kenya, are the last team to win it three times running between 1982 and 1984. Etienne Ndayiragije, Azam head coach, has urged his players to score early if they are to stand a chance against a ‘highly charged’ KCCA side. “My players have done a great job to be in the final, but the task at hand right now is even tougher. We must devise a way of getting goals early if we are to edge KCCA,” said Ndayiragije. For Mike Hilary Mutabi’s KCCA, they are keen on ending their 41-year jinx, having won their last Cecafa title in 1978 after beating Tanzania’s Simba SC 3-2 on penalties following a goalless draw in extra-time. “Sunday is a good challenge to prove what we have fought for, and when it matters most. We will battle with all we got to go home with the title,” said Mutabi. Azam reached their third successive Cecafa final after edging DR Congo side AS Maniema Union 5-4 on penalties after a barren goalless draw on Friday, while hopefuls KCCA saw off Green Eagles, of Zambia, in a thrilling 4-3 extra-time victory. The highly anticipated final will be preceded by the third-place playoff between Green Eagles and AS Maniema, starting at 2pm. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
