Dar boys gear up for Africa U-17 Cup
The national Under-17 soccer team, Serengeti Boys, celebrate a goal during a past match. They reported at camp in Dar es Salaam yesterday ahead of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
The national U-17 soccer team, Serengeti Boys, are brimming with confidence ahead of the 2019 Youth Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
Serengeti Boys are in Group A alongside Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets, Angola and Uganda in the preliminary round of the tournament, which kicks off on April 14 at the National Stadium.
The Tanzanian boys, who reported at Karume Hostel in the city for residential training yesterday, will also compete in the Caf- Uefa special tournament to be held in Antalya, Turkey in March.
As the hosts, they expect nothing less than a first U-17 Afcon triumph, with coach Oscar Nirambo pointing to an abundance of player choices as his main weapon.
The country’s football authorities are reaping the healthy rewards of their investment in youth sports with a host of youngsters vying for a place in Mirambo’s first team.
Speaking to The Citizen yesterday, Mirambo said he was optimistic that his team will perform impressively in both Caf-Uefa tournament and U-17 Afcon.
“Our target is to emerge new U-17 Africa Cup of Nations champions in April,” he said.
Mirambo’s boys were to start residential training on January 1, but Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) rescheduled the camp citing financial constraints.
He said the Caf-Uefa tournament, which is scheduled to start on March 1 in Antalya, Turkey, will serve as a beneficial warm-up for his team ahead of the Nations Cup.
The Antalya tournament will feature 17 youth teams from Africa and Europe.
The teams include Angola, Morocco, Cameroon, Uganda, Nigeria, Senegal and Guinea. Europe will field four teams to be named in due time.
The tournament initially scheduled for February 22 to March 2, but it has been pushed back to March due to various reasons, according to the organisers.
A few months ago, Serengeti Boys won the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region Five Games after beating Angola 6-5 on penalties in Gaborone, Botswana.
Serengeti Boys will launch their U-17 Afcon campaign against Golden Eaglets on April 14 at the National Stadium.
They will also face Angola on April 17 before taking on Uganda in what will be their final group stage match.
Group B teams comprises Guinea, Cameroon, Morocco and Senegal.
The top four teams in the tournament will qualify for the 2019 Fifa U17 World Cup in Peru as the Caf representatives.