The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
2 December 2011
A dismal show by Kilimanjaro Stars and Zanzibar Heroes in the ongoing Cecafa Tusker Challenge Cup in Dar es Salaam is a cause for great concern.The two teams can only now bank on miracles to qualify for the quarter finals of the tournament, after losing their opening group matches early this week.Kilimanjaro Stars lost 1-0 to Rwanda while Zanzibar Heroes tumbled 2-1 to Uganda Cranes.
While it could be regarded as an ordinary performance given that the two teams still have a chance to sail through, it is nonetheless clear that a lot needs to be done if our national soccer team, Taifa Stars, are to do well in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
We say so because most of the players making up Taifa Stars are from the two teams (Kilimanjaro Stars and Zanzibar Heroes).
There is no guarantee that the two teams will qualify for the knockout stage of the regional championship. Kilimanjaro Stars must win their last Group A match against Zimbabwe today if they are to clinch any chance of reaching the quarterfinals.
Zanzibar Heroes’ fate of qualifying as best losers will now be determined by the results of other groups.Failure by Taifa Stars to impress in the World Cup qualifiers will throw us into the international soccer wilderness for a few years, as the team is already out of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Now that Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has appointed Boniface Mkwasa Kilimanjaro Stars head coach, tactician Jan Poulsen must be given all the resources he needs to turn his team into a winning outfit.
The team’s preparations must include a series of build-up matches against Africa’s top nations that would help Poulsen to assess how Tanzania measures up against the continent’s best.We cannot afford to take part in the World Cup qualifiers just for the purpose of participating – our boys must, as they are apt to doing, do all it takes to win.
AllAfrica – All the Time