Tanzania’s national team captain, Mbwana Samatta, believes the Taifa Stars have what it takes to compete against Morocco, Zambia, and D.R. Congo at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Samatta joined Tanzania’s pre-AFCON camp on Thursday just after helping Greek club PAOK pick up a 4-0 win to remain top of the league standings.
The striker jetted to Cairo, Egypt, where the Taifa Stars have set up their base, before traveling to San Pedro, Ivory Coast, for their opening match.
Tanzania have been in high spirits in the Egyptian capital, and the arrival of their captain will only keep them rolling.
When quizzed about whether the Taifa Stars are ready to take on all comers at the AFCON, Samatta replied, “Well, I think preparation is key. With adequate preparation, anything can happen. We will have a strategy and be competitive.”
“We will challenge those teams in our group” -Samatta
Tanzania was pitted against Morocco, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia in Group F.
Ranked 1st, 13th, and 17th in Africa, respectively, the Atlas Lions, the Leopards, and the Chipolopolo are the odds-on favourites to progress to the knockouts ahead of Tanzania.
However, Samatta believes people should not overlook Tanzania, as they are capable of producing an upset against their much-fancied opponents.
The former Aston Villa striker confidently asserted, “If we prepare well and believe, we will challenge those teams in our group.”
Conversely, the Taifa Stars’ AFCON group is the only one that encompasses three previous winners of the competition. The D.R. Congo is the most decorated nation in the group, having won the AFCON twice.
Morocco and Zambia have also claimed continental gold before, in 1976 and 2012, respectively. Hence, AFCON groups do not get much harder than this for Tanzania.
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Samatta admitted, “However, we will have to respect them. Looking at the pot we were placed in during the AFCON draw, the only way to succeed is to play well.”
Tanzania will play Egypt in a friendly match on Sunday before traveling to San Pedro for their opening match against Africa’s highest-ranked nation, Morocco.
