Maximo unveils CHAN-bound squad

Taifa Stars Brazilian coach Marcio Maximo has included two debutants while recalling five other players to join his Abidjan-bound CHAN squad.

During yesterday`s press conference, the coach announced a contingent of 27 players who would join the training camp set for Thursday in Dar es Salaam.

New faces spotted by the Brazilian are JKT Ruvu`s midfielder Mwinyi Kazimoto and Mtibwa Sugar`s Zahoro Pazi.

Five other players who have been recalled to join the team are Uhuru Selemani (Mtibwa Sugar), Azam FC duo of Salvatory Ntebe and Erasto Nyoni and Simba`s striker Jabiri Aziz.

The full line-up of players named by Maximo are; Goalkeepers; Deogratius Bonaventure (Simba), Shaaban Dihile (JKT Ruvu) and Farouk Ramadhan (Miembeni FC).

Defenders Shadrack Nsajigwa and Nadir Haroub(Yanga), Erasto Nyoni and Salvatory Ntebe (Azam F.C), Kelvin Yondan and Juma Jabu (Simba), Amir Mafutah and Nurdin Bakari (Yanga) and Salum Swedi (Mtibwa Sugar).

Midfielders; Henry Joseph and Haruna Moshi (Simba), Geoffrey Boniface, Athuman Iddi and Abdi Kassim (Yanga), Nizar Khalfan (Moro United), Mwinyi Kazimoto (JKT Ruvu), Shaaban Nditi and Zahoro Pazi (Mtibwa Sugar).

Strikers: Musa Hassan Mgosi and Jabir Aziz (Simba), Yanga`s striking trio of Mrisho Ngassa, Jerry Tegete and Kigi Makasi (Yanga).

The selected players are gearing up for next week’s friendly international against Zimbabwe to be played at the new National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

The match will be the last before the team board an Abidjan-bound flight for the inaugural eight-team Championship of African Nations (CHAN) that kicks off on February 22 through March 8.

The coach said he plans to field the newly recruited players in his starting line-up against visiting Zimbabwean side that have also qualified for CHAN tourney.

In related development, Maximo said he has been impressed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to conduct ad hoc dope tests for all players featuring in CHAN.

Stars breezed past Kenya, Uganda and Sudan to win CHAN berth, a huge relief for the Brazilian coach after the team floppy performance during the 2010 African Nation/World Cup championships set for Angola and South Africa respectively.

Stars are pooled in Group A with hosts Ivory Coast, Senegal and Zambia while Group B has Ghana, Zimbabwe, Libya and DR Congo.

• SOURCE: Guardian