What they say about Stars

Dar es Salaam. Taifa Stars must play a series of high-profile friendly matches if they are to shine in the 2018 African Nations Championship qualifiers, which start next month, say coaches and sports analysts.

They say Taifa Stars should play against countries that are rated higher than Botswana and Burundi in the Fifa world rankings, saying such games would enable them to acquire the much needed exposure and confidence.

In separate interviews with The Citizen yesterday, they said the national team’s caretaker, Salum Mayanga, can only succeed in turning around the team’s fortunes if they play against top teams in Africa.

“Our national team can’t acquire the skills they need to shine in the Africa Cup of Nations or African Nations Championship qualifiers by taking on the likes Botswana or Burundi in their friendly matches,” said football analyst Theogenis Kashasha.

Botswana are ranked 38th in Africa while Tanzania is 48th. Burundi, on the other hand, is placed 41st, he added. Mayanga’s men beat Botswana’s The Zebras 2-0 on Saturday at the National Stadium before notching up a 2-1 win over Burundi at the same venue in their last two warm-ups. Kashasha hailed the team for the victories, but remained wary of their opponents in the 2019 Afcon qualifiers, which kick off in June, and the Chan matches.

He urged the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) to organise more international friendly matches for the team, saying this would enable players to be more aggressive and confident. Coach Kenny Mwasabula had similar views, adding that Taifa Stars were not good enough in the midfield to contain star-studded outfits like Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt and Senegal.

For his part, former Taifa stars captain Shadrack Nsajigwa said he was happy with the way the team played against Botswana and Burundi and predicted positive results in their next assignments.