Morroco: FIFA series to elevate Stars performance

TANZANIA: NATIONAL soccer team ‘Taifa Stars’ Interim Coach Hemed Morroco has emphasised on the importance of the upcoming FIFA Series tournament saying it will greatly contribute to the development and performance of the team.

Taifa Stars will be the only team from the East and Central Africa (CECAFA) zone selected to compete in the newly introduced 2024 FIFA Series, the pilot project.

The 2024 FIFA Series, the pilot project is expected to run from 18 to 26 March this year.

“These matches are excellent and crucial for us because they will help build our players and elevate their standards,” he remarked.

Furthermore, he highlighted that the FIFA Series will assist the national team in maintaining and improving its competitive edge, as international matches of this caliber are highly valuable.

“These competitions will also aid our team in fostering good chemistry within the squad respectively,” he explained.

However, he stressed that the team needs to compete against stronger opponents to match those at a high level.

The squad is set to enter to the training camp tomorrow before heading to Azerbaijan for the FIFA Series matches commencing on the 18th.

The initiative will provide member associations with a more regular opportunity to face national teams from other continents, which will serve to unlock technical development opportunities previously unavailable to many of them.

Algeria, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka will be the hosts of the first FIFA Series this month.
Tanzania (CAF) will feature in the Azerbaijan showdown which also includes hosts (UEFA), Bulgaria (UEFA) and Mongolia (AFC).

Algeria includes the host Algeria (CAF), Andorra (UEFA), Bolivia (CONMEBOL), South Africa (CAF) and Saudi Arabia ‘A’, includes Cabo Verde (CAF), Cambodia (AFC), Equatorial Guinea (CAF), Guyana (Concacaf).

Another series is Saudi Arabia ‘B’, which consists of Bermuda (Concacaf), Brunei Darussalam (AFC), Guinea (CAF), Vanuatu (OFC) and Sri Lanka (AFC) hosts Bhutan (AFC), Central African Republic (CAF) and Papua New Guinea (OFC).

“The FIFA Series is a positive step forward for national-team football at the global level,” was quoted as saying FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
While there’s no trophy or prize money involved, the focus is on enhancing competitiveness and promoting the sport.