What kind of football nation does Tanzania want to become

DAR ES SALAAM: AS the country heightens preparations to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals, there is a bigger question: what kind of football nation does Tanzania want to become after the biggest football tournament leaves its shores?

That question has come into sharper focus following the latest visit by Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe to Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba used the occasion to assure CAF that Tanzania is on course with its preparations and that the remaining work on stadiums and related infrastructure will be completed by December.

That assurance is important. But perhaps the most significant part of the Prime Minister’s message was not about concrete, seats, floodlights or dressing rooms. It was about the national team.

Dr Nchemba made it clear that Tanzania does not want to approach AFCON 2027 simply as a host nation providing the stage for others. The ambition, he said, is to prepare a Taifa Stars side capable of competing strongly on that stage.

Hosting AFCON successfully will require quality stadiums, efficient transport systems, accommodation, security, training facilities and flawless organisation.

But when the tournament begins, Tanzanians will also want to see a national team capable of carrying the country’s hopes.

The Prime Minister’s reference to Tanzania producing its own Tshabalala was, therefore, more than a nostalgic football comparison.

Siphiwe Tshabalala’s memorable opening goal for South Africa at the 2010 World Cup became one of the tournament’s defining moments and remains part of the country’s football folklore.

And those moments cannot be manufactured when the tournament kicks off. They must be prepared for now. There is understandably considerable attention on stadiums.

Benjamin Mkapa Stadium is one of the country’s most important football venues, while infrastructure development in Arusha adds another important dimension to Tanzania’s preparations.

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CAF inspections are necessary because a major tournament demands standards that go well beyond those normally required for domestic football.

However, Tanzania needs a national team capable of competing with Africa’s established football powers, not merely a side that qualifies because it is the host.

That requires identifying talent early, developing depth in every position, giving emerging players meaningful international experience and establishing a clear footballing identity.

Most importantly, the preparation should not be reduced to a short-term campaign built around 2027. AFCON should be viewed as part of a longer-term national football development programme.

If Tanzania gets that right, the tournament could leave behind something far more valuable than refurbished stadiums.

It could leave behind a stronger football system. Tanzania already possesses one ingredient many football markets would love to have: passionate supporters.

The Simba-Yanga rivalry generates enormous interest in domestic football and regularly produces some of the biggest sporting occasions in the country.

The challenge is to convert that passion into sustained support for Taifa Stars and, ultimately, into a stronger football economy.

A host nation carries a special burden of expectation. Taifa Stars will not simply be playing for points. The team will be carrying the hopes of millions of supporters who will want to see their country compete with confidence. That pressure can be significant and the best response is preparation, not slogans.

There is also time to build a team capable of handling the pressure that comes with being a host nation. There is still time to identify weaknesses, develop alternatives and give younger players opportunities.

Football history is not written in project plans or inspection reports. It is written on the pitch and it is written when a player scores a goal that an entire country remembers.

It is written when a team produces a performance that captures the imagination of its supporters. And, it is written when a tournament creates memories that survive long after the final whistle.

Tanzania now has the opportunity to create those memories on home soil. The challenge is to ensure that when AFCON 2027 arrives, the country is not merely ready to host Africa. It is ready to show Africa what Tanzanian football can become.