The Tanzanian Football Federation (TTF) has promoted Taifa Stars assistant coach Hemedi Morocco Suleiman to the role of acting head coach following Adel Amrouche’s dismissal.
The TTF has suspended Amrouche in the aftermath of CAF slapping an eight-match suspension on the manager for making controversial remarks about Royal Morocco’s Football Federation (FRMF).
Amrouche will also be paying a $10,000 fine after the FRMF filed a complaint with the CAF following the Algerian’s claim that the Atlas Lions’ federation influenced the CAF’s decisions on match officiating.
Despite having successfully led Tanzania to their first Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals since 2019, the experienced gaffer will no longer be at the helm of the Taifa Stars for the current edition.
Hemedi ‘Morocco’ Suleiman Ali will take charge of the Tanzanian men’s national team ahead of their remaining group matches against Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The 53-year-old has served as the head coach of the Zanzibar men’s national team alongside domestic clubs like Mafunzo and KMKM.
Hemedi Morocco Suleiman
Hemedi Morocco famously led Zanzibar to the final of the 2017 CECAFA Cup, a sub-confederation tournament for national teams based in Eastern Africa. Against all odds, Morocco’s Zanzibar toppled the likes of Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda en route to the final, which they lost to Kenya on penalties.
At the club level, the Zanzibari manager propelled Tanzanian outfit Namungo FC to their first-ever CAF Confederation Cup group stage appearance in 2021.
Morocco will now lead the Taifa Stars as they take on Zambia on Sunday at the Laurent Poukou Stadium in San Pedro.
This will not be the first time the Tanzanian coach will take on a Zambian team, having locked horns with Nkana FC in the 2021 CAF Confederations Cup while at Namungo FC. He suffered 1-0 defeats to the Zambian Super League giants in both encounters, at home and away.
The Taifa Stars chase their first points of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after losing 3-0 to Morocco. Zambia will be looking for a win after grabbing a valuable point against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
