Sammy Kitula
29 June 2009
Nairobi — THE COUNCIL FOR EAST AND Central Africa Football Association has turned to Saudi billionaire Sheikh Mohammed Ali Al Amoudi to rescue the region's Senior Challenge Cup. The original sponsors Gateway Television (GTV) shut down early in the year.
Cecafa are hoping Al Amoudi who has previously funded the tournament -- Africa's oldest football competition -- will once again sponsor the tournament, to be held in Kenya in November.
Following the collapse of GTV, the tournament was uncertain, but Cecafa Secretary-General Nicholas Musonye said talks are on-going to bring the Saudi business man on board.
"We are discussing figures. He is very ready to help us out," Mr Musonye told The EastAfrican.
"The collapse of GTV affected our plans but we are committed to hosting the competition," he added.
Al Amoudi sponsored the Challenge Cup between 2004-2007 offering $1.5 million over the period.
Al Amoudi, an Ethiopian resident is ranked as the country's richest person.
Last year Forbes magazine ranked him the 77th richest person in the world with a net worth of $9 billion while this year he was ranked him 43rd.
AL AMOUDI MADE HIS FORtune in construction and real estate before branching out to oil refineries in Sweden and Morocco. He is said to be the largest foreign investor in Sweden and Ethiopia.
Musonye said Al Amoudi has promised to rescue the competition which has not been held in the past due to lack of sponsorship.
Already Kenya is jittery about hosting the tournament without a sponsor.
Football Kenya Ltd -- the country's soccer governing body -- said it was not ready to host the competition without sponsorship.
"We did bid to host the Challenge Cup on the premise that it was fully funded by GTV," said FKL chief executive officer Sammy Obingo.
"But with the collapse of GTV, we may find it difficult to host the event because we also do not have money," he added.
Kenya has already pulled out from hosting the regional Under-17 championships which will now be staged in Sudan in August.
Sudan will also be home to the 2009 East and Central Africa Club championships which begins on June 30.
Musonye allayed fears that the competition will slide back to the dark years when it failed to take off due to lack of funds.
"Cecafa is strong and we assure our members days when the competition failed because of lack of money are long gone."
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