Serengeti Boys, under the tutelage of Bakari Shime alias ‘Black Wizard’ and Danish tactician Kim Poulsen are eager to make it into the Madagascar finals after seeing off underdogs Seychelles counterpart by 9-0 goals in aggregate in the two legged.
However, the team faces a tough test from their South Africans counterpart, Amajimbos at the Dobsonville Stadium in South Africa as victory for both sides is vital in order to place them in the better position of qualifying for the next year’s final.
Serengeti Boys need to play their card well to earn away crucial victory as it will put them few meters from the third round and will make things easier for them in the return leg match due a fortnight later at Azam’s Chamazi Complex in Dar es Salaam.
Shime’s youngsters face a tricky double-legged encounter, hoping to break South Africa’s dominance over them and cruise into the third round. Serengeti Boys arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday after they wrapped up their groundwork in Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo with a convincing 2-0 win over their hosts, Madagascar on Tuesday.
Cyprian Mtesigwa and Kelvin Nashon scored in the 77th and 86th minutes respectively to seal the win for the Tanzanian boys. It was the second game between the two sides after Sunday’s stalemate.
Shime, who has enjoyed considerable success since taking over the national youth side, will be delighted with his team’s preparations for the second round duel against South Africa, who over the year have proved to be a stumbling block for Tanzania in continental qualifiers. The coach, who works closely with the overall national youth team coach, Kim Poulsen, hopes the Madagascar camp will help them when they engage South Africa.
Shime believes that the squad will have enough mettle to overcome their South African counterparts and the workout which will spur the Boys forward. Serengeti Boys booked a date with the Amajimbos after seeing off Seychelles on a 9-0 goal aggregate last weekend.
South Africa dumped out Serengeti Boys during the qualifiers for the 2015 AYC on a 4-0 goal aggregate. The overall winner of the two-legged match will face the winner between Namibia and Congo-Brazzaville. South Africa had an easy ride into the second round following the withdrawal of their opponents, while Namibia eliminated Botswana on 3-2 aggregate.
To make it difficult for Serengeti Boys, South Africa Football Association (SAFA) has decided to make it an entry free match that means the home team will have a huge support in the match to be officiated by referee Osiase William Koto from Lesotho.
The winners of the third round will qualify for the 2017 AYC finals planned for Madagascar and should Serengeti Boys sail though and reach the semi-final stage, they will automatically have the ticket for the U-17 World Cup in India.
Commenting on the game, Amajimbos coach Molefi Ntseki says winning against Tanzania and qualifying for the CAF African Youth championships in Madagascar would give SAFA’s Vision 2022 a new impetus.
Ntseki said SAFA’s Vision 2022 had given the country some direction which was slowly making this country very competitive continentally and globally.
"The last time, the U-17 qualified for the World Cup in Chile and that was the very squad that has now qualified for the U-20 CAF Africa Cup of Nations in Zambia next year. That is the type of progression needed for any country to do well in continental and global tournaments," said Ntseki.
The imposing coach said qualifying for the championships in Madagascar next year was a must as this would create massive opportunities for the players to play in further and bigger competitions. Having done well in his maiden African Youth championships, Ntseki said he as a coach was now wiser and more prepared for such examinations.
"This is a new team with new ideas and I believe we can do well against Tanzania. We will approach this game as a cup final that is for sure. The recent COSAFA championships in Mauritius also helped us hone our tactics and preparedness.”
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