Tanzania:
Kim Comes With Young Stars
ENGLAND's Barnsley FC ace Kennan Ngoma is among 30 players who have been named in the newlyintroduced national soccer team set-up dubbed the 'Young Taifa Stars.'
The new youth team, the first of its kind, is part of the 2013-2016 Technical Development Plan inaugurated recently by the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF).
Unveiling the inaugural 'Young Taifa Stars' squad, national team coach Kim Poulsen said it was meant to be the production line for the senior side, the Taifa Stars.
"The Young Taifa Stars is the connecting link between the youth and the senior team - it is the back up team for the Taifa Stars," Poulsen told a press conference held at the TFF headquarters in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
He said the majority of the team will be young talented players, but there would also be a place for a few senior players that will need to be assessed prior to being incorporated into the Taifa Stars squad. Poulsen believes the Young Taifa Stars will help bridge the gap that existed between the U-20 team and the Taifa Stars and give the senior team more stability.
"If we want to have success at Taifa Stars, we need to groom young players through the U-15, U-17, U-20 and the Young Taifa Stars teams," the Danish tactician said. Poulsen said the country's football was moving forward as reflected in the FIFA rankings and the performance of Taifa Stars in the World Cup qualifiers and various international matches.
He underscored the importance of safeguarding the success through a good succession plan. "Why are we moving forward? It's because there are abundant talents in Tanzania, we have a team that is doing well but it can do better. We need to protect this achievement, while trying to get better and better.
We need to have a pipeline," he said. And among those making the first Young Taifa Stars is Barnsley defender Ngoma, who is completely a new name among the country's football fraternity as well as Young Africans first-choice goalkeeper Ali Mustafa. Poulsen said he had enough details regarding Ngoma.
"He had been at Manchester City academy, I hope he's good player. He's very eager to come; he's Tanzanian and has got the passion to play for the team." On Mustafa's inclusion, Poulsen said:
"Ali has been doing good job for Yanga and this is the extra room to see him closely. He has not been in the national team for quite sometime and this is the platform for him to get back into the team, it is the same with Vincent Barnabas, who has been in and out of the team."
Speaking during the event, national youth team coach Jacob Michelsen, thanked TFF for investing in youth, whom he asserted that they are the future of Tanzanian football. Michelsen said the country's football was experiencing steady development and underscored the importance of youth football programmes for a sustainable growth of the game.
"When I came down here, Tanzania was 142nd in the FIFA rankings, but now we're 116th. We need young players for the future of Tanzanian football. We want to identify many young players and develop them in a right way." Poulsen revealed the players will be put in residential camp between May 2 and 6.
"After the camp we can identify some players who will join the senior team, which will be moving into the camp at the end of May." The full squad includes goalkeepers Aishi Manula (Azam), Hussein Shariff (Mtibwa Sugar) and Ali Mustapha (Yanga).
Defenders are Kessy Hassan (Mtibwa Sugar), Kennan Ngoma (Barnsley FC, Uingereza), Himid Mao (Azam), Ismail Gambo (Azam), David Mwantika (Azam), Miraji Adam (Simba), Mohamed Hussein (Kagera Sugar), Waziri Salum (Azam), Samih Nuhu (Azam) and Emily Mgeta (Simba).
Midfielders are Haruna Chanongo (Simba), Edward Christopher (Simba), Mudathiri Yahya (Azam), William Lucian (Simba), Jonas Mkude (Simba), Hassan Dilunga (Ruvu Shooting), Jimmy Shoji (JKT Ruvu), Abdallah Seseme (Simba), Ramadhan Singano (Simba), Farid Mussa (Azam) and Vicent Barnabas (Mtibwa Sugar). Strikers are Hussein Javu (Mtibwa Sugar), Jerome Lambele (Ashanti United), Zahoro Pazi (JKT Ruvu) and Twaha Hussein (Coastal Union).
Kim Comes With Young Stars
ENGLAND's Barnsley FC ace Kennan Ngoma is among 30 players who have been named in the newlyintroduced national soccer team set-up dubbed the 'Young Taifa Stars.'
The new youth team, the first of its kind, is part of the 2013-2016 Technical Development Plan inaugurated recently by the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF).
Unveiling the inaugural 'Young Taifa Stars' squad, national team coach Kim Poulsen said it was meant to be the production line for the senior side, the Taifa Stars.
"The Young Taifa Stars is the connecting link between the youth and the senior team - it is the back up team for the Taifa Stars," Poulsen told a press conference held at the TFF headquarters in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
He said the majority of the team will be young talented players, but there would also be a place for a few senior players that will need to be assessed prior to being incorporated into the Taifa Stars squad. Poulsen believes the Young Taifa Stars will help bridge the gap that existed between the U-20 team and the Taifa Stars and give the senior team more stability.
"If we want to have success at Taifa Stars, we need to groom young players through the U-15, U-17, U-20 and the Young Taifa Stars teams," the Danish tactician said. Poulsen said the country's football was moving forward as reflected in the FIFA rankings and the performance of Taifa Stars in the World Cup qualifiers and various international matches.
He underscored the importance of safeguarding the success through a good succession plan. "Why are we moving forward? It's because there are abundant talents in Tanzania, we have a team that is doing well but it can do better. We need to protect this achievement, while trying to get better and better.
We need to have a pipeline," he said. And among those making the first Young Taifa Stars is Barnsley defender Ngoma, who is completely a new name among the country's football fraternity as well as Young Africans first-choice goalkeeper Ali Mustafa. Poulsen said he had enough details regarding Ngoma.
"He had been at Manchester City academy, I hope he's good player. He's very eager to come; he's Tanzanian and has got the passion to play for the team." On Mustafa's inclusion, Poulsen said:
"Ali has been doing good job for Yanga and this is the extra room to see him closely. He has not been in the national team for quite sometime and this is the platform for him to get back into the team, it is the same with Vincent Barnabas, who has been in and out of the team."
Speaking during the event, national youth team coach Jacob Michelsen, thanked TFF for investing in youth, whom he asserted that they are the future of Tanzanian football. Michelsen said the country's football was experiencing steady development and underscored the importance of youth football programmes for a sustainable growth of the game.
"When I came down here, Tanzania was 142nd in the FIFA rankings, but now we're 116th. We need young players for the future of Tanzanian football. We want to identify many young players and develop them in a right way." Poulsen revealed the players will be put in residential camp between May 2 and 6.
"After the camp we can identify some players who will join the senior team, which will be moving into the camp at the end of May." The full squad includes goalkeepers Aishi Manula (Azam), Hussein Shariff (Mtibwa Sugar) and Ali Mustapha (Yanga).
Defenders are Kessy Hassan (Mtibwa Sugar), Kennan Ngoma (Barnsley FC, Uingereza), Himid Mao (Azam), Ismail Gambo (Azam), David Mwantika (Azam), Miraji Adam (Simba), Mohamed Hussein (Kagera Sugar), Waziri Salum (Azam), Samih Nuhu (Azam) and Emily Mgeta (Simba).
Midfielders are Haruna Chanongo (Simba), Edward Christopher (Simba), Mudathiri Yahya (Azam), William Lucian (Simba), Jonas Mkude (Simba), Hassan Dilunga (Ruvu Shooting), Jimmy Shoji (JKT Ruvu), Abdallah Seseme (Simba), Ramadhan Singano (Simba), Farid Mussa (Azam) and Vicent Barnabas (Mtibwa Sugar). Strikers are Hussein Javu (Mtibwa Sugar), Jerome Lambele (Ashanti United), Zahoro Pazi (JKT Ruvu) and Twaha Hussein (Coastal Union).
- Tanzania Daily News (Dar Es Salaam)
