Serengeti Boys, Madagascar set for warm-up encounter

Dar es Salaam. The national Under-17 team, Serengeti Boys, have booked a friendly match against Madagascar’s Under-20 side in Antananarivo on Friday.

The Bakari Shime-coached team is shaping up for their 2017 African Youth Championship (AYC) second round qualifier against the Amajimbos of South Africa early next month.

The team, which will pitch 10-day camp in the Indian Ocean’s largest island, is expected to leave the country today for Antananarivo.

The Tanzanian boys will face the Amajimbos in Johannesburg between August 5 and 7, and the second leg showdown will be held a week later at the Azam Complex. Speaking after supervising a morning training session, Shime disclosed that the team travelling to the Madagascar camp will comprise 20 players.

The players have been training arduously at the Karume Memorial Stadium for the past few weeks. 

“The team leaving today comprises 20 players. We hope that our Madagascar camp will be helpful ahead of our match against South Africa,” said Shime who is working closely with the youth teams’ technical advisor, Kim Poulsen.

“We need to be at our best if we want to clear the next obstacle. South Africa ousted us two years ago, we have to go all out this time around and put our chances right on track with a win at their own court.” He said the Friday’s match against Madagascar will be the only high-profile warm-up they will play before flying to South Africa for the tricky test.

 “I requested the TFF (Tanzania Football Federation) to organize at least two high-profile build-up matches, but it is not bad; they have managed to secure one. We will use the match appropriately because there will be no another big test for the boys,” he said.  Serengeti Boys booked a date with South Africa’s Amajimbos after seeing off Seychelles on a 9-0 goal aggregate few weeks ago.  The overall winner of the two-legged match will face the winner between Namibia and Congo-Brazzaville.