CECAFA 2019: Somalia Name Strong Squad For The Tournament

The Ocean Stars squad for the 2019 CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup has been revealed by Somalia Football Federation.

The tournament is scheduled to take place in Uganda between 7-19 December.

Heyford Basir Kweku, a Ghanaian coach, will be in charge of the squad at the East African tournament.

The tactician has selected 15 professional footballers, who trade their business in Europe and North America, while the rest were selected from Somali Premier League clubs.

“We are taking this tournament very seriously because we want to perform well and keep improving in the rankings. We have some foreign-based players who played in the 2021 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe,” coach Heyford told Ducor Sports.

Rising Star Omar Mohammed, who turns for USL League One team Greenville Triumph SC, leads the cast of overseas-based players.

Somalia will open their Group B campaign against Sudan on 8 December before facing DR Congo two days later and South Sudan in the final match on 12 December.

Hosts Uganda open the tournament against Ethiopia on 7 December in Group A of the eleven-team CECAFA Cup alongside Burundi and Eritrea.

Somalia squad:

Goalkeepers: Usaama Yussuf (SV Genc Osman, Germany),  Abdiasis Xasan (Tower United, England), Said Aweys (Mogadishu City Club)

Defenders:  Yonis Farah (Trysil, Norway), Mohamud Ali Mohamed (Curzon Ashton, England), Ahmed Said Ahmed (Vantaan, Finland) Farhan Omar (Pargas IF, Finland), Guled Abdirizak Ahmed (NK Nask, Croatia) Liban Abdulahi (Jönköpings Södra IF, Sweden)

Midfielders: Abd-El-Aziz Yousef (Halifax Wanderers FC, Canada), Abdulsamed Abdullahi (FC Den Bosch, Netherlands), Omar Mohamed (Greenville, USA), Mohamed Abukar (Unattached) Abdulkadir Said Ahmed (Vantaan, Finland)

Forwards: Ali Musse (FC Valour, Canada), Hussein Abdikarim Mohamed (Helsinki IFK, Finland), Anwar Sayid Ali (Elman FC), Hassan Abdinur Geeseey, (Horseed SC)