Ngorongo Heroes take on Kenya in AFCON U-20 qualifiers

DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA’S Ngorongo Heroes take on Kenya in their inaugural Group A match of the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) – CECAFA Qualifiers at KMC Stadium in Dar es Salaam today.

This signals the start of the long qualifiers journey which is set to climax on October 20th when two teams that will represent CECAFA at the Under-20 AFCON finals next year will be unmasked.

Another game today will see Sudan hosting Djibouti at Azam Complex and the two sides are also placed in Group A of the qualifiers.

Tanzania is placed in group A alongside Sudan, Rwanda, Djibouti and Kenya while group B consist of Uganda, South Sudan, Burundi and Ethiopia.

Tomorrow, two Group B fixtures will be played as South Sudan face Burundi at KMC Stadium before witnessing Uganda hosting Ethiopia at Azam Complex.

On October 8th, Ngorongo Hero’s welcome Djibouti at KMC Stadium and later, Sudan will entertain Rwanda at Azam Complex in two thrilling group A games.

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However, according to the regulations of the qualifiers, the best two teams in each group progresses to the semis and the two finalists directly book a ticket to represent CECAFA in the AFCON finals.

The country’s envoys are under the tutelage of former Taifa Stars player and coach Boniface Mkwasa who has been given the task to negotiate the team throughout the qualifiers.

In one of his past interviews, he said each player in his squad is showing his best and that they are all motivated to help their team do well in the competition and qualify for next year’s Under-20 AFCON edition.

He added: “Since the qualifiers will be held in the country, we need to show our seriousness by making sure that we do well in each fixture that comes along the way.

“We respect all teams in our group, they are competitive enough but mind you, we also have a good side which is not easy to beat and the boys are showing that they are hungry to stamp success in the approaching qualifiers,” he said.

Tanzania last qualified for the Under-20 AFCON in 2021 whose finals were held in Mauritania and the country’s envoys were packed in group C together with Morocco, Gambia and Ghana.

They finished at the bottom of the group with one point from three matches obtained after a 1-1 draw against Gambia as such, this is a big opportunity for Ngorongoro Heroes to create another record of reaching in the AFCON finals and put a remarkable reputation on the success of the country’s football.