Upbeat Taifa Stars leave for E. Guinea minus key players
Players of the national football team Taifa Stars train at one of the soccer fields in Nairobi, Kenya, ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations matches. Taifa Stars will play with Equatorial Guinea this Thursday and against Libya on March 28 at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Victory against Equatorial Guinea will revive Taifa Stars’ hopes of qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations finals next year
Dar es Salaam. The confident national football team (Taifa Stars) left Nairobi, Kenya, yesterday minus two players for Equatorial Guinea, whom they face tomorrow in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) encounter.
The players, who did not travel with the team are Dickson Nickson Job from Young Africans (Yanga) and Kelvin John, who plays for the Brooke House Football Academy in England.
John has been left out due to technical matters while Job has been dropped because of family problems.
Also dropped are Hassan Kessy, Edward Manyama, Ally Msengi, Baraka Majogoro, Nassor Hamoud, Meshack Mwamito, and Said Ndemla.
The players who have travelled to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, ahead of the encounter are goalkeepers Aishi Manula, Metacha Mnata and Juma Kaseja.
Defenders: Shomari Kapombe, Israel Mwenda, Erasto Nyoni, Bakari Mwamnyeto, Kelvin Yondani, Kennedy Juma, Laurent Alfred, Mohammed Hussein, Nickson Kibabage and Yassin Mustapha. Midfielders: Simon Msuva, Hassan Dilunga, Mzamiru Yasin, Jonas Mkude, Feisal Salum, Himid Mao, Salum Abubakar, Farid Mussa and Iddi Suleiman Nado. Trikers: Mbwana Samatta, Thomas Ulimwengu, John Bocco, Yohana Mkomola, Shaaban Chilunda, Deus Kaseke, Abdul Suleimani and Ayoub Lyanga. The match is decisive for Taifa Stars if they are to revive their hopes of qualifying for next year’s Afcon finals to be held in Cameroon. Tanzania are third with four points, while Equatorial Guinea are second with seven points.The winner of the match will put one leg into the Afcon qualifications.
