Dar es Salaam — THE Council of East and Central African Football Associations (CECAFA) is pleased with the preparations that Tanzania is making so far, to host 34th Senior Challenge Cup this December.

The CECAFA Secretary General Nicholas Musonye said recently that Tanzania has stepped up preparations to host a successful tournament due in Dar es Salaam from November 21 -December 5, this year.

In June, the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF), confirmed in its annual calendar that the country will host this year's CECAFA senior Challenge Cup. Kenya hosted the last year's event in which Uganda Cranes were crowned the East and Central Africa champions, after a 2-0 win over Rwanda's Amavubi.

Musonye told a Rwandan paper New Times recently, "Everything is on track in terms of hosting a successful event." "After Eritrea hosting a successful U-20 tournament, focus has now shifted to Tanzania to wind up any unfinished business," Musonye said.

Cecafa is already in the hunt for sponsors to support the two-week competition which pits national teams from 11-member states. 'It's true we have talked to some sponsors but we are yet to reach an agreement," added Musonye.

The Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup is the oldest football tournament in Africa. It includes national teams from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Zanzibar, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi and Djibouti. In 2005 and 2006, the tournament was sponsored by Ethiopian/Saudi businessman Sheikh Mohammed Al Amoudi and was dubbed the Al Amoudi Senior Challenge Cup.

It is the successor tournament of the Gossage Cup, held 37 times from 1926 until 1966 and the East and Central African Senior Challenge Cup, held 7 times between 1965 and 1971. Uganda Cranes has won the regional title 11 times, followed by Kenya with five titles. Mainland has won two times, while Rwanda has won it once in 1999.