Jodan Boys will be missing defender Ahmed Ali for the coming weeks. The 22 year old player of Somali descent is called upon by the Somali Football Federation to participate in an international tournament of the CECAFA the council of east and central Africa football Associations. CECAFA Tusker tournament will be held for the 36th time this year.

The CECAFA tournament has existed since 1972 and was previously the Challenge Cup (1967-1971) and before the Gossage Cup (1926-1966). This first tournament began as a mutual encounter between Kenya and Uganda. In the 40s Tanganayika and Zanzibar entered the tournament also. Somalia participates for the 22nd time in the tournament, but did not mkde a big impression in the early editions.

The tournament will be held in Uganda and begins on Saturday, November 24. A total of 12 African countries participate in this tournament, where they begin in three groups of four countries. Somalia is classified in group B, with Sudan, Tanzania and Burundi. The numbers one and two of the groups go through to the quarter-finals, as well as the two best number three countries.

Somalia, which is currently in the 193rd place in the FIFA world ranking list, is in a tough group. Sudan ranks 102 in this ranking and Burundi (128) and Tanzania (134) are well above the Somalians. So it will still be a tough challenge.

All matches will be played in the capital Kampala of Uganda and almost all games will be finished in Namboole stadium (capacity 45 200), except for two games, which are played in the Nakivubo War Memorial Stadium (capacity 15,000). Among these is the match between Somalia and Tanzania that will be played in this stadium.

In the group stage Somalia plays the following games:
25/11/2012 at 15:00 Burundi – Somalia Namboole stage
11/28/2012 at 15:00 Somalia – Sudan Namboole stage
01/12/2012 Unknown Somalia – Tanzania Nakivubo stage
Furthermore, the quarter-finals will be played on 3 and 4 December and the semifinals on 6 December and the final on 8 December.

If Ahmed Ali will make it to the final selection and will be competing in the tournament, he will be the first player of Jodan Boys who plays an official match for the national team. In the ’70s, Bert Graafland also played for a national team, but this was Dutch amateur team.

Ahmed Ali is not the only player who plays outside Somalia. Besides Ahmed Ali another player in the Dutch league is also invited. Also two players who are currently playing in England, two from America and one from Kuwait are invited for the Somali team.

NB: Written in Dutch read this story on the below link of Jodan Boys website 

http://www.jodanboyssupporter.nl/news/ahmed-ali-opgeroepen-voor-somalisch-nationaal-team/