U17 coach refutes bad blood with TFF official

Dar es Salaam. Serengeti Boys coach, Oscar Mirambo has categorically refuted claims by a section of the media that his relationship with Ammy Ninje is frosty.

In an interview with The Citizen yesterday, Mirambo categorically denied the claims, saying that he has been working well with Ninje – the Tanzania Football Federation TFF technical director.

He insisted that that he will continue to work closely with Ninje, clearing the controversy that had surrounded his relationship with the former Mainland national soccer team, Kilimanjaro Stars, head coach.

“My relationship with Ninje is good and we are working together on various issues pertaining to our national youth soccer team,” he stressed.

He said he works closely with the national soccer governing body’s technical director for the sake of football development in the country.

“For me, there is no problem. Frankly, I’m not used to talking too much about what’s going on around my team,” he said.

“We must all be behind the national youth team to ensure it performs well in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals,” he added.

Ninje is said to have voiced his displeasure with the youth outfit’s technical team.

Serengeti Boys, now camping in the city, are in Group A in the Afcon finals together with Nigeria, Angola and Uganda.

They will launch their campaign in the finals against their Nigerian counterparts on April 14, at the National Stadium.

The day will also see Uganda taking on Angola at the same venue.

The Tanzanian boys will swing back into action on April 17 for a match against Uganda, while Nigeria will face Angola.

On April 20, Serengeti Boys will take on Angola at the 60,000-seater venue. The match will be followed by an encounter between Uganda and Nigeria.

Group B matches will take place at the Azam Complex, Chamazi, on the outskirts of the city.

The group also comprises four teams, namely Guinea, Cameroon, Morocco and Senegal.

Meanwhile, Serengeti Boys leave for Kigali, Rwanda, today for a special mini U-17 tournament, which kicks off on April 1.

For the Tanzanian boys, the championship will be part of their preparations ahead of the 2019 Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) scheduled for next month in the country.