CECAFA 2009 Kicks Off in Khartoum
- Details
- Category: International
- Published on Wednesday, 01 July 2009 19:43
- Written by Sudan Radio Service
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1 July 2009 – (Khartoum) – Amidst fireworks, cheering and tight security, the CECAFA 2009 club football championship was officially opened on Tuesday night in El-Merikh football stadium.
The first match, between Mathare United of Kenya and Kartileh from Djibouti, began before the ceremony. Mathare United beat Kartileh three nil.
Soon after the match and the colorful ceremony, El-Merrikh played and beat Atraco of Rwanda by six goals to one, giving the hosts a big push and sending the whole stadium into wild jubilation after a match that ended a few minutes before midnight. The chairman of the club, Dr. Omar Mahmoud Khalid, could not hide his joy following the match.
[Dr. Omar Mahmoud Khalid]:“This is a very exciting match, especially towards the end of the first half, when they scored four goals with beauty and style. We are happy with this performance, especially when El-Merikh has been absent for a long time. This affected their performance in the first half – but they picked up later.”
On Wednesday, Tanzania’s Prisons FC will battle it out with Benadir of Somalia while TP Mazembe of DR Congo will face Kampala City Club from Uganda.
El-Merikh now go on to play Kartileh of Djibouti and Mathare United will take on Atraco of Rwanda on Thursday evening in Omdurman.
In Port Sudan, InterStars of Burundi will play Miembieni of Zanzibar and Hay El-Arab will take on the Kenyans, Tusker FC.
