Tanzania: Nizar Released by Whitecaps to Join Stars

Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)

28 May 2011

TAIFA Stars influential midfielder Nizar Halfan has been released by his club, Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Canada to join the national side ahead of the Stars’ African Cup Nations (AFCON) qualifier match against Central Africa Republic (CAR) next weekend.

Information posted on Vancouver Whitecaps website indicated that Nizar will leave Canada tomorrow to join Stars’ team mates for the final tune up before the team travel to Bangui for the return leg duel.

The midfielder’s last two appearances for the Taifa Stars came in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying late last year. Tanzania drew 1-1 away to Algeria on September 3, 2010, before falling 1-0 at home to Morocco on October 9, 2010.

Nizar will miss Whitecaps FC’s Major League Soccer match away to Chivas USA on Wednesday night and Vancouver’s league visit to Real Salt Lake on Saturday. On Saturday afternoon, Whitecaps FC take on Eastern Conference club New York Red Bulls on Bell Pitch at Empire Field which kicks off at 2:30 pm PT.

After fumbling in inviting overseas-based players for the ACON first leg qualifier against CAR, the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) is keen to avoid the same fault. The TFF sent letters of invitation to six professional players ahead of the away return leg.

Taifa Stars inexplicably missed the services of three key foreign-based players in the Group D encounter of the AFCON qualifiers in March, with the mishap only spared after Stars succeeded to scrap to a 2-1 win.

Apart from Nizar, other foreign based players who missed the tie were Danny Mrwanda and Abdi Kasssim (Vietnam’s DT Long An). They were not released by their clubs on grounds that their (clubs) didn’t receive enough notification, the claims that were strongly refuted by TFF.

Should Stars win against CAR, they will be in a very good position to qualify for the 2012 Nations Cup to be jointly hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

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