Tanzania’s local national team head coach Bakari Shime believes the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers will help build depth and experience in the team. Tanzania is already qualified for the 2025 CHAN tournament by virtue of being one of the three hosts but is only playing the qualifiers as part of the build-up towards the February showpiece.
Tanzania will face Sudan in the first round of qualification, with the first leg scheduled for Mauritania, while the return tie will be played in Dar es Salaam.
Speaking to Telecomasia.net, the coach believes it will be a good platform for the team to gain exposure and international experience.
Everyone will get an equal opportunity to play because you only get experience while playing. This is a chance for us and our players to experience a tough international match, and it will help us build the team ahead of the final tournament next year. We have several players who have played for the national team at the Under-17 and Under-20 levels, and this will offer them another chance to gain more experience.
The tactician has called in a rather youthful side for his CHAN qualifier squad, with the only experienced face being Simba goalkeeper Aishi Manula. Tanzania is prioritizing next month’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and hence has not included most of their star players in the CHAN roster.
