Tanzania/Central African Republic: CAR Names Squad to Face Taifa Stars

Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)

Japhet Kazenga

11 March 2011

THE Central African Republic (CAR), have named their squad to face Tanzanian national soccer team, Taifa Stars in the 2012 African Nations Cup (AFCON) qualifier in Dar es Salaam on March 27.

Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) information officer Boniface Wambura said on Friday that according to information from their CAR counterparts, FCF, the Les Fauves will arrive with a contingent of 32 people and will be led by the country’s Sports Minister Aurelien Zingas.

“The CAR’s delegation will comprise 23 players in which some of them are home-based while others are plying their trade in several countries including Chad, Congo Brazzaville, France, Gabon, Morocco and Singapore,” said Wambura.

He named the players as Prince Samola, Delphin Gbazinon, Audin Boutou, Nicaise Ozingoni, Mamadi Saoudi, Hilaire Momi, Geoffroy Lembet, Euloges Enza, Manasse Enza, Foxi Kette-Vouama, David Manga and Habib Habibou.

Others are Josue Balamandji, Fernander Kassai, Salif Keita, Freddy Lignanzi, Amores Dertin, Eudes Dagoulou, Vianney Mabide, Charly Dopekoulouyen, Emmanuel Yezzouat, Onassis Kemo and Franklin Anzite.

The FCF nevertheless has kept the actual date of the squad’s arrival secret. Wambura noted that Taifa Stars head coach, Jan Poulsen, is expected to name his squad on Tuesday ahead of the crucial group D qualifier, which will determine Stars’ chances of qualifying for the 2012 AFCON finals that will be jointly hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

“Poulsen will name his final squad on Tuesday and the players are expected to enter camp 10 days before the match”, he said.

Stars will be meeting the CAR for the first time ever in a continental competition and the two sides are expected to play the return leg encounter at the latter’s backyard between June 3 and June 5.

The CAR currently tops the group D of the qualifiers with four points from two games, having won one and claimed a draw in the other.

Morocco is hot on the group leaders’ heels at the second spot with four points from a win and a draw but has an inferior goal difference with the CAR.

Stars are in the third position with one point from two outings, having claimed a surprise away 1-1 draw in their first match of the qualifiers against Algeria before succumbing to a 1-0 defeat to Morocco at home in the second match.

Algeria, which participated in the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa, is at the bottom of the standing with a point from two games after managing the frustrating draw with Stars before losing to the CAR in the other.

Algeria, which is now equally in a difficult position to qualify for the continental showpiece, will meet Morocco in the group’s other qualifier at the end of this month.

With Stars having already dropped crucial three points in the only home game they have so far played in the qualifiers, progressing to the finals certainly turns out to be an arduous task as the team needs to win the remaining matches to stay within reach of a trip to Equatorial Guinea and Gabon next year.

Stars qualified for the first and only AFCON finals played in Nigeria in 1980 and has since then been experiencing embarrassing early exits in the tournament’s qualifiers.

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