The Somali National U-20 football team on Wednesday left for Eritrea for this year’s CECAFA tourney. Since Somalia and Eritrea have no flight connections, the team will be transit in Nairobi before flying to Asmara on midnight on Wednesday.

Somali football Federation President Said Mahmoud Nur, First vice president Ali Said Guled Roble, secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab and other high level officials have seen off the national team at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International airport.

The team has been under going daily training sessions for the past five weeks and its coach Awil Osman Mohamed Says he has high hopes.

At least, nine countries including Yemen are taking part in this year’s CECAFA competition from which Djibouti and Ethiopia are missing.

According to the fixtures issued by the council of East and Central African football Associations (CECAFA) Somalia is in Group A with Sudan, Kenya, Eritrea and Tanzania.

Somalia will have its first match against Sudan on Sunday 15^th of August.

“We would like to assure all our members that the CECAFA, the Eritrea FA and the Government of Eritrea are working very closely to ensu0re we deliver a successful competition” the regional football governing body secretary General Nicholas Musonye said in a press statement this week.

He said that the tournament will coast about one million US dollars and prize money of US 18000 will be shared among top three winners as follows:

·        winners: US$ 10,000

·        second: US$   5,000

·        third    :  US$   3,000

The tourney is slated in Asmara, Eritrea 14^th-28^th of August 2010.

Somali Football Media Department

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