Taifa Stars face Uganda in crucial Afcon match

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania national football team (Taifa Stars) today face Uganda in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia, Egypt.

The match has been scheduled to kickoff at 4pm Tanzanian time and Taifa Stars target victory in order to improve their chances in the group F standings.

Taifa Stars are placed third with one point in the group F log while Uganda are at the bottom with one point too. Algeria are at the top with six points while Niger are second with two points. Another match will see Algeria hosting Niger.

Taifa Stars head coach Adel Amrouche said they are taking the match with all weight and expect a positive result. The Algerian trainer said all his players are in good form and ready to deliver their best in the encounter. The match will be under Mauritius referee Ahmad Imtehaz Heeralall at the centre and assisted by Ram Babajee of Mauritania and Jean Marc Pithia of Mauritius and the fourth official will be Ganesh Chutooree, also from Mauritius.

Amrouche said they had good training in Ismailia and that the players had responded well, despite training for five days only.

“I am happy that all my players are doing fine after training and are now ready to fight hard in the encounter against the Ugandans. We need to be very keen throughout the game,” said Amrouche.

For his part, Taifa Stars captain Mbwana Samatta said they are facing a must win encounter in order to improve their position in the group F standings. Samatta said they are aware of the importance of registering victories in their remaining matches in order to qualify for the Ivory Coast finals. He explained that although Uganda are a tough team with a good record against Tanzania, they will prove their worth by registering victory in the encounter.

“Basically, we are ready for the encounter at the neutral venue. We target victory and not otherwise. My teammates are in high spirit and we hope to make all Tanzanians happy,” said Samatta.