Taifa Stars coach Marcio Maximo has unveiled a 28-man squad that will face Somalia in the African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualification match to be staged in two week time at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
In his list Maximo has almost retained all players who were in the squad which played Uganda Cranes in the build-up match at the CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza earlier this month, losing 3-2 to the Cecafa champions.
The only new face in his squad is Azam FC midfielder Seleman Kassim. He has also recalled Simba’s Uhuru Seleman and Jabir Aziz who were out of the squad due to injuries.
The Brazilian tactician has also included U-20 players in his squad so as to make them gain experience.
Maximo told reporters that spirit, attitude, commitment, discipline, image and patriotism, performance and age were the only criteria used in his selection.
“I’m optimistic with the players in my squad,” said Maximo, adding that: “They have to report on Wednesday for residential camp.”
He said his players and the technical bench will not underrate Somalia who have a history of upsetting Stars.
Somalia produced the first biggest upset to Stars in the Council for East and Central African Football Associations (Cecafa) Senior Challenge Cup last year when they beat fancied Tanzania 1-0 at Nakivubo stadium in Kampala.
Due to security concern in Mogadishu and lack of stadium, the war-torn Somalia requested to play one-off tie in Dar es Salaam. Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) accepted the request after consultation with African soccer governing body.
Somalia dispatched Djibouti with a 1-0 victory to set up a clash against Tanzania.
The Djibouti/Somalia preliminary round match was played as a one-off tie in Djibouti.
Sudan will host the second edition of the CHAN tournament in 2011.
The tournament was inaugurated in 2009 when the finals were held in Cote d’Ivoire.
The top two teams in the home and away knockout tournament will represent the Cecafa region in the CHAN finals.
The inaugural edition involved eight teams but in Sudan there will be 16 teams.
Each CAF (African Football Confederation) zone will produce two teams to join the hosts. With Sudan qualifying automatically, the Cecafa region will, therefore, have three teams.
The list of players and their respective teams in the brackets are: Shaban Kado (Mtibwa Sugar), Jackson Chove (JKT Ruvu), Shadrack Nsajigwa (Yanga), Salum Kanoni and Juma Jabu (Simba), Stephano Mwasika (Moro United), Nadir Haroub ‘Cannavaro’ (Yanga), Kevin Yondan and David Naftal (Simba), Aggrey Morris (Azam), Abdullahim Humoud (Mtibwa Sugar), Erasro Nyoni (Azam), Shaban Nditi (Mtibwa Sugar) and Juma Nyoso (Simba).
Others are Abdi Kassim (Yanga), Mbwana Samatta (African Lyon U-20), Nurdin Bakari (Yanga), Jabir Aziz (Simba), Kigi Makasi (Yanga), Hamid Thabit (African Lyon U-20), Seleman Kassim (Azam), Mussa Hassan ‘Mgosi’, (Simba), Mrisho Ngasa (Yanga), John Boco (Azam), Jerry Tegete (Yanga), Thomas Ulimwengu (Afican Lyon U-20) and Uhuru Seleman (Simba).
