Bonnie Mugabe
11 June 2011
After failing to agree on a venue for a friendly in May, Rwanda and Panama face-off this Monday in what could be their final warm-up game ahead of the Fifa U-17 World Cup which kicks off next Saturday.
The match will be played in Pachuca and Richard Tardy believes that the Central American nation, which is drawn in Group E, will provide a stern test.
“We all know that teams from South and Central America play good football so we are looking forward to the game,” Tardy said.
On the same day, Rwanda’s Group C opponents England also play Ivory Coast while Canada take on Australia.
Uruguay will also play Australia on Wednesday.
Rwanda opens her campaign against England on June 19. She then plays Uruguay on June 22 before winding up with Canada on June 25.
The junior wasps reached the World Cup after reaching the semi final of the Africa U-17 Championship. The other African teams to qualify include Burkina Faso, Congo Brazzaville and Ivory Coast.
Like Rwanda (CAF), Canada (CONCACAF) and Uruguay (CONMEBOL) finished runner-up in their respectively qualifying zones while England made it to the European championship semi-final only to lose to eventual champions-the Netherlands.
The top two teams in each of the six groups and the four best third-placed teams will advance to the round of 16.
The tournament, which runs from June 18 to July 10, will be played in seven cities; Guadalajara, Monterrey, Morelia, Torreon, Pachuca, Queretaro and Mexico City.
June 13
Warm-up matches
Rwanda vs Panama
Canada vs Australia
England vs Ivory Coast
June 15
Uruguay vs Australia
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