CAF officials arrive to inspect CHAN facilities

Four officials from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) are in the country to inspect and assess Rwanda’s preparations for the 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN) set for January 16-February 7 2016. The quartet includes CAF Competitions Director Shereen Arafa, Tarek El Deeb, Salomon Binyam and Iman Said. The officials will travel across the country for the next four days to examine the four host stadiums including Amahoro and Kigali regional stadium in Kigali, Huye stadium and Umuganda Stadium in Rubavu. They will meet the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) headed by the Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) president Vincent Degaule Nzamwita and will seek an update on the preparations for the continental showpiece that will attract 16 countries from the African continent. On the agenda also are the training facilities next to these stadiums including the FERWAFA Ground next to Amahoro Stadium, KIST Stadium, Kamena Stadium in Huye and another stadium under construction next to the Umuganda Stadium in Rubavu. The CAF officials will also inspect the hotels that will host the teams and they will also give an update on transport and security. A total of 42 teams were in involved in the draw which was based on zonal allocations of the national associations affiliated to CAF on April 5 in Cairo, Egypt. The qualifiers will start from the weekend of June 19-21 through to August 28-30 where 15 teams will emerge to join hosts Rwanda for the fourth edition of the quadrennial tournament. Amavubi have lined up several friendly matches throughout the year, including against South Africa, on July 25 in Johannesburg as new Amavubi coach Johnny McKinstry tries to build a team that can take on the best on the continent next year. The CHAN tournament is designed exclusively for players who feature in their domestic leagues. The first edition was held in 2009 in Ivory Coast with Democratic Republic of Congo emerging winners. Tunisia were crowned champions at the 2011 edition in Sudan while Libya won last year’s edition in South Africa.

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CAF officials arrive to inspect CHAN facilities