Kenya wins CECAFA 2013 by beating Sudan 2:0 in final

Kenya has won the CECAFA 2013 soccer tournament with a 2:0 victory against Sudan. The Kenyans won the award for the sixth time in history on their 50th Independence Day. Sudan was the underdog for entire match, playing a defending game. Kenyan Allan Wanga had a great header at 34 minutes and struck again in the 80th minute. Salah Ibrahim remained the top scorer with five goals. After a minute of silence at Nyayo National Stadium to honour the death of Nelson Mandela, the Kenyan team started with a great build-up when after four minutes, with good dribbling Francis Kahata passed to Miheso whose cross was handled inside the box, however the referee did not call for a penalty. Kenya almost took the lead. Only ten minutes later Allan Wanga had a great chance but his shot was blocked and comfortably cleared by the Sudanese defense. Sudan midfielder Amir Kamal was booked for a push just a minute before half time. The second half started off with a similar picture for Kenya and a defensive Sudan. Kenyan striker Pinchez Opiyo missed the target by inches. In the 67th minute, Sudan escaped from a second goal, but one minute later James Situma layed a fine cross to Allan Wanga who easily slotted-in his second. Hotel bill delays Sudan team The final match was postponed for one hour after the entire team was held-up over unpaid hotel bills. The Sudan national team was finally released by Milele Hotel management one hour before the kick-off. The Kenyan government intervened to offset the substantial bills which prompted the management to detain the team.The hotel CEO Samuel Njoroge appreciated the efforts of the government to settle the matter. “I am happy the government came in to pay the bills, we have released the players, so Kenyans can now go watch the match,” said Njoroge to Standard Media.The Football Kenya Federation headed by Sam Nyamweya admitted they faced challenges due to the huge budget of the tournament but to him, the process was successful. “We had a huge budget but the money we got from the sponsors and government was not enough but we managed,” said Nyamweya.Other critics The Kenyans, happy with the final results, criticised the organisation of CECAFA 2013. For the first time, the final of the CECAFA was televiised live. Many players and supporters also criticised the poor condition of the Machakos stadium Zambia has claimed the bronze medal by beating Tanzania 6:5 on penalties.