Why new Stars coach axed Bocco, Kichuya

Dar es Salaam. In unprecedented move, six players have been dropped from the national soccer team, Taifa Stars, for alleged indiscipline.

This comes at a time when Taifa Stars are honing their skills ahead of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Uganda Cranes.

The players are striker John Bocco, slippery winger Shiza Kichuya, midfield maestro Jonas Mkude, defender Erasto Nyoni, midfielder Hassan Dilunga and defender Shomari Kapombe – all from Simba.

The decision by coach Emmanuel Amunike to drop the players from his squad seems to have caught Simba officials and national team players by surprise as none of them was aware.

“Bocco and his teammates have been axed from the national team after failing to report at camp on time,” the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) secretary general, Wilfred Kidau, said yesterday.

Meanwhile, coach Amunike has called up six players from four Premier League sides for the tricky Afcon clash.

The players are Salum Kimenya (Prisons), Paul Ngalema (Lipuli), Ally Abdukadir (Lipuli), David Mwantika, Frank Domayo (Azam), Kelvin Sabato and Salum Kihimbwa (Mtibwa).

Amunike, who was unveiled by TFF as the Stars head coach earlier this year, has been irked by Simba players not to report at camp on time, according to Kidau.

His primary task is to turn around Taifa Stars’ fortunes in the 2019 Afcon qualifiers.

Stars, who were held a one-all draw by Lesotho in their opening qualifier, will face Uganda on September 7 before taking on Cape Verde in tricky qualifiers.

“National team players who will dare misbehave at camp will be doing so at their own peril,” warned the TFF official.

Stars, whose first ever appearance at the Afcon finals dates back to 1980 in Nigeria, currently sit third in Group L.

The 47-year-old (Amunike), who had been without a job since leaving Sudan’s Al Khartoum SC in March, signed a two-year deal with TFF earlier this year, replacing Salum Mayanga.

During his day, he won the African Cup of Nations with Nigeria in 1994 and the Olympic gold with the Super Eagles two years later.

He also featured for the likes of SC Zamalek, Sporting Lisbon and Barcelona, although injuries prevented him from truly realising his potential in Catalonia.

He began his coaching career with Nigeria’s U-17 team in 2014 and won the U-17 World Cup a year later.