Uganda Qualifies for CAF U-17 Championship

Uganda has booked their place in next year’s 2019 Africa Under-17 Cup of Nations after being crowned the Cecafa Under-17 champions on Sunday 26 August in the east and central Africa regional tournament.

The Cubs won the Cecafa crown with a 3-1 victory over Ethiopia in the finals staged at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Coach Peter Onen’s charges will be joined by Angola, Cameroon and three other teams, in addition to the hosts for the final tournament, that is set to run between May 12th and 26th next year.

Uganda scored their goals through Samson Kasozi and Idd Abdul Wahid who netted a brace to send the East Africans for the first time to the finals of the continental tournament.

Ethiopia pulled a consolation from the penalty spot via Mintensnot Wakjira two minutes into added time.

Cubs will hope to use that opportunity to qualify for the 2019 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Peru in what will be their fourth appearance at the continental showpiece event.

Tanzania’s Kelvin John, who helped his side win bronze by beating Rwanda 1-0 in the playoff match, was named the best player of the tournament while Ethiopia’s Mintesnot Wakjira took the top scorer accolade with 8 goals.

In an interview with Ducor Sports, Uganda’s coach Peter Onen congratulated his boys for the job well done and thanked the Ugandan football body for supporting his team.

“We have been strong since the second game in the tournament. We had revenge against the Ethiopians. I’m very proud of the boys. They have been so determined and followed whatever we planned. I thank my technical team for the work done; it was a collective achievement. FUFA, thank you for supporting and giving these young players a chance to play,” said Onen.

Uganda eliminated hosts Tanzania 3-1 to reach the final, while Ethiopia had knocked out Rwanda 4-2 on post-match penalties after a two-all draw after extra time.