Cecafa boss Nicholas Musonye is delighted with recent progress in the region that has seen four nations qualify for the 2019 Afcon finals.
Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Burundi have all qualified for this year’s Afcon competition set to be held in Egypt and it is the first time the region will be represented by four teams.
“I am proud of the success of the four teams, for the first time, we shall have enough representation in the region. But qualifying is not enough I challenge them to go out there and make a statement. East African region has enough talent to compete with other regions in Africa.”
According to Musonye, grassroots structures have been the key reason for this achievement.
“Having in place youth programs have had a positive impact on our football. For example, looking at Burundi, they have been very supportive and most of their national team players are youth and the result is evident,” Musonye told Goal.
Uganda will be making their seventh appearance in Afcon, one more than Kenya while Tanzania is for the second time and Burundi will make their debut.
The draw for the 2019 edition will take place on April 12 in Cairo, Egypt.
