Former Tanzania keeper Ivo Mapunda has stated the country can do well in the 2020 African Nations Championship (Chan) finals if they are prepared well.
The Taifa Stars made it to the Chan finals after eliminating Sudan and have now been pooled in Group D together with Zambia, Namibia, and Guinea with the two top teams advancing to the quarter-finals.
Reacting to the draw on Wednesday, Mapunda said what matters most is adequate preparation by the national team, while describing their Group D pack as a fair deal.
“In modern football, having ample preparations always plays a big role as far as doing well is concerned and in this case, we should not judge our opponents in the group by their names because, in football, a team you undervalue is the one which may later surprise you,” Mapunda is quoted by Daily News.
He added most teams in Group D are similar in quality and if Tanzania can put enough focus on good preparation, then reaching the latter stages of the competition is possible.
Meanwhile, former Simba SC goalie Mohamed Mwameja urged Taifa Stars coach Etienne Ndayiragije and the entire technical bench to only select players who are ready to fight for their country.
“I think, he should not merely select players just because they play at Simba, Young Africans or Azam but they should be the ones who have the potential to bring home desired outcome from the competition," Mwameja told the same publication.
He also pointed out the government in conjunction with the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) should fully commit themselves to the national team, by ensuring that they get many friendly games to keep the team in good shape ahead of the Cameroon mission.
Defending champions and hosts Cameroon are in Group A and will have to prove themselves against Mali, Burkina Faso, and Zimbabwe, while Group B is made up of Libya, DR Congo, Congo, and Niger.
Rwanda and Uganda will meet in an East African derby as they are stacked in Group C together with Morocco and Togo
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)