A total of nine teams will take part in this year’s regional tournament that will run from August 1 to 15 in Tanzania
Kenya representatives Tusker FC have been pooled in Group B of the upcoming Cecafa Kagame Cup to be played between August 1 and 15 in Tanzania.
According to the draw conducted on Tuesday, the Brewers will come up against Tanzania’s Azam FC and South Sudan’s Atlabara while Group A will have defending champions Uganda’s KCCA FC, Burundi’s Le Messanger Ngozi FC, and Zanzibar’s KMKM FC.
Group C will have Tanzania’s Yanga FC, Malawi’s Nyasa Big Bullets, and Uganda’s Express FC.
The first and second teams from each group will proceed to the tournament’s finals, alongside the two best runners up.
Why are Tusker representing Kenya
Tusker are representing Kenya after Football Kenya Federation gave them the ticket by virtue of topping the current league table and also having sealed the slot for the next season’s Caf Champions League.
Their participation has received sharp opposition from outgoing FKF league champions Gor Mahia, who feel they deserved to take part in the tournament.
In a recent interview, FKF President Nick Mwendwa explained to Goal why they had settled on Tusker and not Gor Mahia.
“We are now playing a new Kagame Cup since the previous one was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so the time Gor were to represent the country has been overtaken by events, and instead, Tusker will go for the competition,” Mwendwa told Goal.
“Cecafa wanted a name of the team to represent Kenya and we settled on Tusker because they are topping the 18-team table but we will also give an official statement to clarify on the same position soon.”
Last Friday, Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier confirmed in a signed statement they will take part in the tournament.
"We would like to confirm our participation in the forthcoming Cecafa Kagame Cup 2021 tournament slated to kick off in Dar es Salaam next month,” read part of the statement obtained by Goal.
“We will soon send the official list of players and members of the technical bench who will make the trip to represent the country as has been directed by the federation, being the defending league champions."
Group A: KCCA (Uganda), Le Messanger Ngozi FC (Burundi), KMKM FC (Zanzibar).
Group B: AZAM FC ( Tanzania), Atlabara (South Sudan), Tusker (Kenya).
Group C: Yanga FC (Tanzania), Nyasa Big Bullets (Malawi), Express FC (Uganda).