Tembo Warriors commit to improve after fall

DAR ES SALAAM: THE head coach of the National Amputee Team ‘Tembo Warriors,’ Salvatory Edward, said despite their early exit from the finals of the 2024 Amputee Africa Cup (AAFCON) and missing out on a World Cup ticket, his team has learned a valuable lesson and will improve.

“We had set targets, but we did not meet them. During tournaments, my players had obstacles due to their lack of experience compared to others,” the coach told the `Daily News’ through an interview yesterday in Dar es Salaam.

The coach stated that to be successful in the upcoming tournament, they would need to spend in scouting for talent by developing a local league and providing their players with enough friendly games to gain experience comparable to their counterparts.

“These challenges we faced in the recently concluded finals have taught us a valuable lesson for our future preparations for upcoming competitions, which include having a proper league to groom experienced players who will increase the number of players to build the national team and increase competition in our squad.”

Upon their arrival on Wednesday, Tembo Warriors captain Juma Kidevu thanked. President Samia Suluhu Hassan for bestowing a presidential incentive award of 10 million/-.

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He said while the competition was difficult, they had learned many valuable lessons that would help them do better in future challenges and pledged to climb the ladder from that they achieved this year on ninth place.

“We had a chance to compete against good teams like Angola, which have invested a lot in Amputee Football, and that experience has given our team much boost,” he said.

The country’s envoys registered a 2-0 victory over Sierra Leone in group D, their only triumph throughout the competition.

Ghana’s National Team won the competition in Egypt on Monday evening, defeating Morocco 2-1. Ghana had to recover from a goal behind to successfully defend their championship from previous year.

Morocco scored first in the 14th minute, while Mubarak Mohamed levelled for Ghana with a penalty kick in the 41st minute.

The game, however, was forced to go to extra time when the scores stayed tied in normal time.

Mubarak was on hand to give Ghana the lead and the victory in extra time, allowing them to successfully retain their championship and earn a spot in the 2026 Amputee World Cup in Panama.