Tanzania picks vital lessons from AFCON 2023, says coach Suleiman

Tanzania’s journey at the ongoing TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 came to an end on Thursday night after the Taifa Stars failed to qualify for the knockout stage.

After losing 3-0 in the opening Group F match to Morocco, Taifa Stars battled to a 1-1 draw against Zambia with Simon Nsuva netting the goal, and concluding with a goalless draw against DR Congo to finish with 2 points.

But Acting coach Hemed Suleiman Morocco who took over the fort after head coach Adel Amrouche’s suspension says they have learnt a lot from the competition.

” This is the first time Tanzania get two points in an AFCON competition. It is a process and playing at the 2023 AFCON has given us a lot of lessons, ” added Suleiman who added that they will go back to the Tanzania Football Federation and advise on how a team should prepare best for such a tournament.

Simon Nsuva who netted Tanzania’s goal in the 1-1 draw against Zambia to become the first Tanzanian to score in the last two AFCONs the team has featured in added that it was a good playing ground for them to showcase their talents again.

” We had hoped to get to the knockout stage of the tournament, but things didnot work out, but we gained good experience playing with the best teams, ” added Nsuva.

Mbwana Samatta, the team captain made it clear that the team had played their best, but unfortunately failed to qualify for the knock-out stage. ” We played three matches and managed to pick two draws and suffered one defeat. There is a lot we keep learning from playing with the best teams and we shall keep improving when we get to the AFCON, ” added the captain.

Tanzania are the only team from the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) that qualified for the AFCON 2023.