Taifa Stars off to Egypt today for Afcon residential camp
Taifa Stars players during the past training at the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- While in Egypt, Taifa Stars will play friendly a match against Egypt’s national football team on January 7 to hone their skills before departing to Abidjan ahead of the event.
Dar es Salaam. The national football team (Taifa Stars) depart today for Cairo, Egypt for the residential training camp ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals scheduled to take place in Abijan, Ivory Coast, next year.
The team’s contingent will comprise 27 players selected by team’s head coach, Adel Amrouche.
While in Egypt, Taifa Stars will play friendly a match against Egypt’s national football team on January 7 to hone their skills before departing to Abidjan ahead of the event.
The Taifa Stars is slotted in Group F together with Morocco, DR Congo, and Zambia. Their opening match will be held on January 17 against Morocco at the San-Pedro Stadium.
Meanwhile, Morocco coach Walid Regragui said he wants his team to break "the curse of the African Cup" as he named his 27-man squad for next month's Africa Cup of Nations.
It is 47 years since Morocco last won the continental competition. But its is after reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar last year, that the team now become a favourites poised to win the title in Ivory Coast.
"The more African competitions take place, the further away we get from the date when we won it," said Regragui. "But that's no reason to exert pressure on ourselves. We're going to play our football, give it the best shot, and above all, not to have regrets."
Since winning the cup in 1976, Morocco has only reached the final once, in 2004 when they lost to their hosts Tunisia. During the last edition in Cameroon in 2022, they lost to Egypt in the quarter-finals. "What is important is the state of mind," said Regragui.
Regragui has retained the bulk of his World Cup squad, who beat Belgium, Spain and Portugal before falling to a 2-0 defeat by France in the semis. They including Paris Saint-Germain’s defender Achraf Hakimi, Sevilla's Youssef En-Nesyri and Manchester United midfielder Sofyan Amrabat.
But he has also brought in younger talents -- for "good balance between the present and the future", he said. The new faces are PSV's Ismael Saibari and Real Betis defender Chadi Riad, who won this year's Under-23 Afcon.The Atlas Lions will face DR Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia in the group stages when the tournament finally kicks off.
