Kagame Cup set for June in Dar

This year’s edition of the regional club championships, ‘Kagame Cup’ will be held from June 23 to July 7 in Dar es salaam, Tanzania according to the Council for East and Central African Football Association (Cecafa).The Cecafa secretary general Nicholas Musonye confirmed that the tournament will return to Tanzania and they have stepped up preparations to host a successful event for the second year running.According to Musonye, the move to stage the tournament in Tanzania is partly down to the success of last year’s Senior Challenge Cup.Besides staging a colourful tournament, Cecafa were also impressed by the fact that Tanzania managed to secure sponsorship for the tournament at the 11th hour.Twelve-time league and three-time Kagame cup champion APR who have rejuvenated their side this season despite a first round exit from the Orange Champions league are set to stage a challenging tournament in bid to claim their fourth regional title.Last year, APR and Etincelles were knocked out at the group stage. The showpiece ultimately ended with Mainland soccer champions Yanga, improving their credentials by laying their hands on the silverware, after edging rivals Simba 1-0 in the final. Ghana’s Kenneth Asamoah was the hero after coming off the bench to head home the winner deep into extra time. The match had ended goalless in regulation time. It was also Sam Timbe’s fourth Cecafa title after triumphs with Atraco (2009), Police (2006) and SC Villa (2005).However, the Ugandan coach was dramatically sacked by Yanga and was replaced Serbian Kostadin Papic. Kigali has only hosted the tournament in 2004, 2007 and 2010 with APR reigning supreme on all three occasions. Since 2002, President Paul Kagame has footed the tournament with $60,000 worth of prize money.