The reigning StarTimes Uganda Premier League champions, SC Villa on Thursday morning conducted their final training session in preparation for the upcoming CECAFA Kagame Cup tournament in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
SC Villa, the only Ugandan team among the 12 clubs set to compete in this year’s edition of the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) Kagame Cup, held their last training session at East High School in Nkurambi-Kisaasi. They are set to have Friday 5th July off before setting off for Tanzania on Saturday 6th July.
Dusan Stojanovic, the head coach of SC Villa, shared insights on the team’s readiness for this pre-season tournament.
“The Kagame Cup is a new challenge for the days ahead. The boys are doing very well, with commitment and hard work. We’ve been in action for 10 days, but this is just the beginning of our preseason journey,” he said.
“The boys are ready and have the vision to give the best version of themselves for our jersey at the Kagame Cup,” he added.
He also shared that their aim was to win the tournament but admitted that the journey wouldn’t be a smooth sail, saying their opponents are very tough teams.
Semugera Missi Diego, one of the players, also shared his thoughts on the upcoming tournament.
“We are ready to face any challenge in the Kagame Cup and we are prepared to do what we are supposed to do in Tanzania,” he said.
The draws for the tournament were conducted on July 3, 2024, at 12 PM in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
SC Villa was drawn into a challenging Group C, where they will face Rwanda Premier League champions APR, Singida Black Stars of Tanzania, and El Merriekh from South Sudan.
Group A will feature Coastal Union FC (Tanzania), Al Wadi (Sudan), JKU FC (Zanzibar), and Dekadeha FC (Somalia). Group B consists of Al Hilal (Sudan), Gor Mahia (Kenya), Red Arrows FC (Zambia), and Telecom FC (Djibouti).
The top teams from each group, along with the best-placed second-place finisher, will advance to the semifinals of the tournament.
The matches will be held at the Azam Complex in Chamazi and the KMC Stadium in Kinondoni from July 9th to July 21st, 2024.
