EDITORIAL: GO well, taifa stars
After nearly four decades, the national football team – Taifa Stars – have finally broken the jinx and made it to the African Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals to be played in Egypt in June and July, this year. We join the rest of the nation in celebrating the achievement and congratulating the team that beat the odds to grab a 3-0 win in their final qualifier against The Cranes of Uganda on Sunday.
The last time we played at the prestigious continental football contest was in 1980. This is why the breakthrough at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam has caused so much excitement all over the country.
For Taifa Stars, this is just the beginning of a more arduous journey. The real deal is in Egypt where Tanzania will battle it out with 23 other teams from across the continent.
Taifa Stars, coached by former Nigeria winger Emmanuel Amunike, will now have to step up their preparations for the Afcon finals where they will go as part of a four-team entourage from East Africa. Uganda, Kenya and Burundi have also qualified.
All in all, what we witnessed at the National Stadium is testimony to the fact that success in sports comes from unity of purpose as a nation, proper planning and investment. That should be the case going forward.
