Samatta rejoins Taifa Stars
What you need to know:
- Samatta's last appearance for the Taifa Stars was in the AFCON finals held in Ivory Coast on January 24, this year, where the team recorded a goalless draw.
Dar es Salaam. Finally, Tanzania national football team (Taifa Stars) captain Mbwana Samatta has been included in the squad ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) match against DR Congo.
Samatta's last appearance for the Taifa Stars was in the AFCON finals held in Ivory Coast on January 24, this year, where the team recorded a goalless draw.
Samatta, who plays for PAOK in Greece, did not feature in the eight international encounters that Taifa Stars had played.
A lot was said about the absence of the player in the national team, with many speculating that he had decided to retire from the national team duties.
This development led to various opinions among football fans, and later, the government, through the minister for Sports, Damas Ndumbaro, promised to meet with Samatta and discuss the matter.
As nothing had been clarified since then, Taifa Stars head coach Hemed “Morocco” Suleiman has included Samatta ahead of the 2025 AFCON qualifiers against DR Congo, to be played on October 10 at the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa.
Morocco stated that the squad was carefully selected with focus on the technical requirements and strategies needed to face DR Congo, a team with substantial experience in international competitions.
“We have considered each player’s ability and how they can contribute to our tactics for these matches.
“It's crucial for us to achieve our goal of qualifying, and we believe this squad will perform well," said Morocco.
Taifa Stars are currently in second place in the Group H standings with four points, while DR Congo are at the top with six points.
Ethiopia are third with one point, and Guinea are at the bottom without a point. Samatta is among the 23 players selected ahead of the back-to-back encounters against DR Congo.
Other players are:
Goalkeepers: Ally Salim (Simba), Zuberi Foba (Azam FC), Yona Amos (Pamba)
Defenders: Mohammed Hussein (Simba), Lusajo Mwaikenda (Azam), Pascal Masindo (Azam), Ibrahim “Bacca” Hamad (Yanga), Dickson Job (Yanga), Bakari Mwamnyeto (Yanga), Abdulrazack Hamza (Simba) and Haji Mnoga (Salford City, England)
Midfielders: Adolf Mtasingwa (Azam), Habib Khalid (Singida Black Stars), Himid Mao (Tala’ea El Gaish, Egypt), Mudathir Yahya (Yanga), Feisal Salum (Yanga), Seleman Mwalim (Fountain Gate), Kibu Denis (Simba), Nasoro Saadun (Azam FC) and Abdullah Said (KMC)
Strikers: Cyprian Kachwele (Vancouver Whitecaps, Canada) and, Clement Mzize (Yanga).
