Tanzania to battle Morocco as minister Ndumbaro happy with team’s preparations

The only cecafa zone representative Taifa Stars of Tanzania will take to the field this evening in their opening Group J opening match against Morocco at the ongoing TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 in Cote d’Ivoire.

Taifa Stars skipper Mbwana Samatta has made it clear during the official press conference on Tuesday that although Morocco is a big team in African and world football, they are ready to fight to get a good result.

” Morocco is a big and difficult team, it is one of the best teams in Africa and the world at the moment, so we respect them but that does not stop us from going to fight them. One thing that brought us here is Tanzania to win this championship, ” added the experienced forward who featured for English Premier League side Aston Villa few years ago.

Coach Adel Amrouche will be hoping that his team can make a good start against a tricky opponent when the match takes place at the Laurent Pokou Stadium in Ivory Coast.

He also made it clear that his team is in Cote d’Ivoire for serious business. ” Yes we are building a team, but we are happy to play against the big teams, ” added the Tanzania head coach.

He promised that the Taifa Stars will do their best to give a good picture for East African Football.

On his part Morocco’s coach Walid Regragui asked his team to set aside their past success at the 2022 World Cup and concentrate on the task at hand in the AFCON 2023.

“The first match is often important. We are going back to get the three points and ideally start the competition,” stated Walid Regragui.

After the opening match against the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi finalists, Taifa Stars will battle Zambia on January 21st and DR Congo three days later.

In their last appearance at the AFCON in 2019 held in Egypt the Taifa Stars lost 2-0 to Senegal in the opening match, 3-2 to fellow CECAFA side Kenya and 3-0 to eventual champions Algeria.

Meanwhile, the Minister for Culture, Arts, and Sports, Dr. Damas Ndumbaro, expressed satisfaction with Tanzania’s National team, Taifa Stars, as they prepare for their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) group stage mission.

He made these remarks during a meeting with Stars players on Tuesday in anticipation of their opening Group F fixture against Morocco on Wednesday.

“I am pleased with the team’s preparations; the morale among players and technical bench members is high, indicating that our team is ready to shine,” he said.

The meeting was attended by the President of the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF), Wallace Karia, and the President of the Zanzibar Football Federation (ZFF), Suleiman Jabir, who also serves as the head of the delegation.