Samia hails Stars, rewards 10m/

– PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has rewarded Taifa Stars 10m/- following their 1-0 win over Niger in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers Group F match.

The Deputy Minister for Culture, Arts, and Sports, Hamis Mwinjuma, made the statement yesterday during the parliamentary session in Dodoma. He also lauded the national team for winning the weekend match.

“I would like to applaud Taifa Stars for their win against Niger. The victory places us at a good spot and possibilities to qualify for AFCON finals…the squad will today (on Monday) receive 10m/- as the presidential reward for banking a goal in the match against Niger,” the Deputy Minister affirmed.

Yesterday afternoon, the Director of Information Services and the Government’s Chief Spokesperson, Gerson Msigwa, handed over the money to Simon Msuva, who received the amount on behalf of his teammates at the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) headquarters in Dar es Salaam.

A hard-earned victory firmly placed Taifa Stars in second place with seven points behind Algeria. Simon Msuva’s goal was enough to keep hopes for Taifa Stars to qualify for the finals.

Msuva who also starred in most qualifying games by scoring crucial goals for the national team, netted the winner again on Sunday.

He scored two of three goals for Taifa Stars, with George Mpole adding one for Taifa Stars. So far, Taifa Stars banked three goals in these qualification matches.

Stars are chasing Algeria, who have already qualified after posting 15 points.

Uganda Cranes are third on the log with four points, while Niger, alias Menas are fourth with two points.

Niger is already out of the campaign; they remain with a game against Uganda in September.

The Cranes AFCON qualification hopes are hanging by a thread after the 2-1 loss to Algeria on Sunday.

With four points, Uganda Cranes remain the only threat to Taifa Stars if they win against Niger in their last game of the campaign. Therefore, Tanzania will need a win or draw to qualify for the AFCON finals, while the Cranes need a win, but a draw or defeat will end their journey.

Uganda’s final group game will be away to Niger, and the Cranes will need to win by a margin of three goals and hope Tanzania loses to Algeria to stand a chance of qualifying. Taifa Stars will secure third-time participation if they excel in the AFCON finals. They grabbed their AFCON ticket in 1980 and 2019, although they had an early exit at the group stage in both finals.