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Central Africa: Tusker Face Burundi's Vital 'O Today
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The Nation (Nairobi)
16 July 2008
Posted to the web 16 July 2008
Gishinga Njoroge
Dar Es Salaam
It has been a high scoring Cecafa Kagame Cup Club Championship here in Tanzania. After only four matches, spectators have witnessed 16 goals.
Kenyan champions, Tusker, set the ball rolling on Saturday with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Dar es Salaam giants and six-time winners of the tournament, Simba.
The Kenyans who instantly took up this year's favourites tag return to action Wednesday for their second Group "A" match against Burundi's Vital 'O at the old National Stadium.
The 4 pm clash will be preceded by a Group "C" match at 2 pm between defending champions APR of Rwanda and Zanzibar champions Miembeni.
Conditions are excellent in Dar es Salaam and the early kick-off will not be under the normal punishing heat of this city.
While the rest of East Africa, especially most of higher land Kenya is experiencing extremely chilly conditions, the cool weather has significantly brought down temperatures in Dar es Salaam.
Tusker coach Jacob "Ghost" Mulee after watching Vital 'O upset 2-1 by Somalia's Benadir Telecom on Monday said his Kenyan team will have to up their game to beat the Burundians. "They are wounded and they will come at us as if the lives depended on beaing us."
Mulee said Tusker's intention was to win all their pool matches and send out a signal that they intended to win the championship which they were the last Kenya club to claim in 2001. Tusker plays Benadir on Sunday.
Meanwhile it has been learnt the four Kenyan players who were key in Benadir's defeat of Vital 'O were recruited in Nairobi only last week.
Amir Hassan, the Somalia Football Federation assistant secretary said none of the players were from well established Kenyan clubs.
"There is none from Kenyan Premier League sides," Hassan said, "we got them from small clubs in Nairobi, from Dandora and the like, but they are very talented. We in fact would have like to sign on at least six but we did not have much time."
The players are goalkeeper Francis Dick Otieno, whom "Ghost" Mulee described and as "ex-Mathare", Harrison Mburu, Ivan Edward and Albert Odhiambo. Edward scored one of the Benadir goals.
Hassan said Benadir had initiated transfer formalities for the players with Kenya Football Federation (KFF) secretary general, Samuel Obingo who was in Dar es Salaam on a different assignment when the tournament kicked off.
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Meanwhile, Nicholas Musonye, the Kenyan secretary general of Cecafa Tuesday said the region was saddened by the death of former Kenyan football coach Reinhard Fabisch who died after illness in Germany. Musonye said Fabisch will be remembered for having played a huge part in promoting the game in the region and elsewhere including Zimbabwe and Benin.
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