Inter-parliamentary soccer tournament 2011 kicks off / Parliament of Tanzania eager to defend title

By East African Community (EAC)

ARUSHA, Tanzania, November 21, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The group stages of the World Cup 2014 qualifiers commenced in earnest last week. Still in the month of November 2011, a number of football leagues are either on recess or at the height of the chase for the respective league titles in the Partner States. Regionally, the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) is organising the Senior Challenge Cup which takes place from November 23, 2011 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

In Bujumbura, Burundi, yet another regional tournament organised by the East African Legislative Assembly takes place. The Inter-Parliamentary Soccer Tournament 2011 takes place at the Prince Louis Rwagasore National Stadium on November 22-29, 2011. It features the National Assemblies of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania as well as a team from the EALA/EAC.

The first round of the tournament shall take place from Tuesday, November 22, 2011 through Thursday, November 24, 2011. Friday, November 25, 2011 is a rest day. The Semi-finals are expected to take place on November 26, 2011 with the finals scheduled for November 29, 2011 at the same venue.

Defending champions, Parliament of Tanzania, is expected to put up a strong challenge to retain the title. In 2009, the Parliament of Tanzania beat the Parliament of Uganda to clinch the trophy in the finals played at the Sheikh Abeid Karume Stadium in Arusha, Tanzania.

The home team, Burundi National Assembly has vowed that under no circumstances shall the trophy leave Bujumbura, promising a tough battle during the games. Reports indicate that all teams are in high spirits for the extravaganza that marks part of the EALA 10th Anniversary.

So far, the EALA/EAC team has been going through the training paces in Bujumbura. All other National Assemblies' Football teams arrived Sunday in readiness for the week-long tournament.