Ocean Stars the early birds
The Somali national football are already lodged in at the Mandela Hotel at Namboole having arrived in Kampala on Friday night.
The Ocean stars are here two weeks early to start preparations ahead of this year’s Cecafa-Tusker Cup that kicks off on November 24 in Kampala and ends on December 8. Fixtures for the tournament will be released on Monday.
Fufa protocol officer WOI Boniface Oryem received the 13-man Somali delegation at the Airport.
According to Amir Hassan, an advance party officer who arrived in Kampala four days earlier, the first group comprised only players.
Amir said 11 others were due to arrive in Kampala this Saturday evening while a few other professional players from UK, USA, Holland and Kuwait would join the team later.
The Ocean Stars will have a two-week training here before the official kick-off of the tournament. The Somali FA are meeting their costs until November 21 when Cecafa will take them over.
“Somali Football Federation [SFF] has done all efforts it could and we are hopeful of good outcome this year,” said the Federation Secretary General Abdi Qabi Said Arab in Mogadishu before the team’s departure on Friday.
He praised the efforts by the Somali football coaches outside the country whom he said had prepared talented players for their National side. Those coaches include SFF administrative representative in UK Abdi Olad Rage and Abdirashid Islow.
