Tanzania: Haruna Back in Stars’ Radar

Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)

Japheth Kazenga

21 July 2011

SIMBA SC mercurial midfielder, Haruna Moshi, has been given a crucial opportunity to make his way back into the senior national soccer team, Taifa Stars, after he was selected in the national U-23 squad, Vijana Stars.

Vijana Stars will play two international friendly matches against Seychelles in Arusha at the end of the month. Moshi is one of three senior players that have joined the rest of the Vijana Stars squad for the friendly matches as the trio attempt to win the spurs of Taifa Stars’ head coach, Jan Poulsen and eventually feature in the latter’s squad in international assignments.

Other players are Yanga’s midfielder, Juma Seif ‘Kijiko’ and towering striker Gaudence Mwaikimba, who has recently been recruited by Moro United. Vijana Stars’ head coach, Jamhuri Kihwelo, said Poulsen recommended Moshi, Kijiko and Mwaikimba for the two friendly matches with a view to assessing the level of their performance and the Danish tactician could then include them in the Taifa Stars’ squad, should they impress him.

Poulsen said his decision to choose the three players follows information he has received from a section of domestic soccer stakeholders, who have opinioned that they could be quite useful to Taifa Stars.

“I have never seen Moshi play but I have been told that he is a very good player…I have also heard that Kijiko is equally very good and he played really well in the recent Kagame Castle Cup in Dar es Salaam, so, I have decided to give them chance to play in the friendly matches to assess their performance,” said Poulsen.

“Mwaikimba was the second best goal scorer in the Mainland Premier League last season and I know him, thus, he too has been given the same opportunity,” the Dane added.

Both Moshi and Mwaikimba played for Taifa Stars on different occasions in the past few years, when the squad was under Brazilian, Marcio Maximo, but they fell out of the coach’s favour and were sidelined for a long spell.

Kihwelo said a total of 20 players have been selected for the team and will travel to Arusha on Monday next week to face Seychelles at the Sheikh Amri Abeid Stadium. They are goalkeepers Shaaban Kado (Yanga), Seif Juma (African Lyon), defenders Babu Ally (Morani FC), Juma Seif (Mtibwa Sugar), Shomari Kapombe (Moro United), Issa Rashid (Mtibwa Sugar), Salum Kanoni and Godfrey Wambura (Simba).

Others are midfielders Juma Seif Kijiko (Yanga), Haruna Moshi, Machaku Salum (Simba), Awadh Juma (Mtibwa Sugar), Jabir Aziz (Azam FC), strikers Thomas Ulimwengu (Hamburg SV, Germany), Gaudence Mwaikimba (Moro United), Sino Augustine (African Lyon), Hussein Javu (Mtibwa Sugar), Khamis Mcha, Jamal Mnyate (Azam FC) and Mohamed Soud (Toto African).

Kihwelo hinted that he and Poulsen will also tour upcountry to identify more players that have the potential to feature for national junior teams of different age categories, with a view to building a strong basis for preparing players for Taifa Stars.

Meanwhile, the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) Information Officer, Boniface Wambura, said a 30-man contingent of the Seychelles national U-23 soccer team is expected to arrive in Arusha today from Nairobi for the two international friendly matches against Vijana Stars, penned for Wednesday and Saturday next week.

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