Coach confident Stars will qualify for the 2019 Afcon

Dar es Salaam. Taifa Stars assistant coach Hemed Morocco has exuded confidence Tanzania will qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals.

Taifa Stars, who have missed Africa’s biggest football tournament since 1980, are in Group L together with Uganda Cranes, Lesotho and Cape Verde in the qualifying matches.

And the Stars, whose captain Mbwana Samatta play for KRC Genk of Belgium, are again watching from the sidelines as other national soccer teams compete in this year’s Afcon finals in Gabon.

“There is no easy or difficult draw, but the 2019 Afcon draw gives us confidence that we will, this time around, make it to finals,” said Morroco.

He, however, emphasised the need for early and adequate preparations, including playing a number of high-profile international friendly matches.

The 2019 Afcon finals will be played in Cameroon, and Morocco says Taifa Stars new head coach, Salum Mayanga has all it takes to propel the team to higher heights.

Mayanga has replaced Charles Boniface Mkwasa, whose fairytale ‘marriage’ with the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) came to an abrupt a few weeks ago when the national soccer governing body terminated his contract.

Morocco believes qualification can be all but assured if Taifa Stars win all their three home games, and manage to squeeze another win and draw on the road.

From the draw held in Libreville, Gabon on Thursday night, Stars will have to defeat East African rivals Uganda Cranes, Lesotho and Cape Verde to play at the 2019 finals in Cameroon for the first time in more than 30 years.

Uganda Cranes are in Gabon, ready and determined to battle it out against Africa’s best. This is after close to four decades of just coming close and not making it.

And for their efforts, they were recognised as the best national team in 2016 at the Glo Caf Awards on January 5.

Already, the Cranes goalkeeper Dennis Masinde Onyango, who plays for South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundown, is on many fans’ lips