African Schools Football Championship CECAFA Zonal Qualifiers will reach climax stages today with the semi-finals and finals pitting some of the top schools in the region in Tanzania.
The Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) welcomed 15-teams from eight member associations in Tanzania from Friday 17 February to Sunday 19 February 2023 for the zonal qualifiers of the inaugural African Schools Football Championship.
The CECAFA zone will host the final zonal qualifying tournament designed for schools around the continent. The tournament has three phases: national, zonal and continental phase.
The participating schools will be competing for a ticket to the maiden continental CAF African Schools Football Championship tournament in April 2023.
This follows successful last three days of the tournament held at Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania.
Tanzania’s Fountain Gate kept their unbeaten run in the girls’ category to secure top spot with six points from two matches while Ethiopia’s Awaro SS finished second with three points.
Fountain Gate beat Burundi’s Ecofo Ruseno 9-0 in Group A before Ethiopia’s Awaro SS put five past Ecofo Ruseno in the second fixture played at the Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam.
The hosts beat Awaro SS 5-1 to have an unassailable lead at top of the group as both sides qualified to the last four last of the tournament. They will play Kiramuzi MS in the first semi-final.
Amus College topped Group B winning all three matches to set up a semi-final meeting with Awaro SS of Ethiopia.
Meanwhile in the boys’ category surprise package Libya Primary School from South Sudan are through to semi-final stage of the ongoing CAF African Schools Football Championship qualifiers for the CECAFA zone.
After kicking off the campaign with a 4-1 win against CEM Baoulous of Djibouti on Friday, the South Sudan team brushed a side Aljeel Al Genina (Sudan) 3-1 and settled for a 2-2 draw against Ecofo Gasanda (Burundi) on Saturday at the Azam Complex.
They will face Royal Giants HS from Uganda while Geda Roble SS of Ethiopia takes on Burundi’s Ecofo Gasanda in the second semi-final as revealed on CAF Communication Department.
On the side-lines of the tournament, there are several workshops and training sessions on Safeguarding with other sessions focusing on Young Reporters, Refereeing and Coaching. The objective is the help the youngsters to have several options in football.
SEMIFINAL FIXTURES
Fountain Gate vs Kiramuzi MS (Girls)
Amus College vs Awaro SS (Girls)
Geda Roble vs Ecolo Gasanda (Boys)
Libya PS vs Royal Giants HS (Boys
The winners of the CECAFA zonal qualifiers will receive USD 100,000, while the runners-up will take USD75,000 and bronze medalists USD 50, 000.
The African Schools Programme is a development project that focuses on schools’ football and organized through the African Schools Football Championship.
The aim is to increase the social impact of football and empower participating countries to administer football through training programs.
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